From this point on, I had a police escort. The Pakistan government is understandably scared of political fallout associated with any problems involving foreign personnel. They've therefore arranged a relay of armed police Toyota pickup trucks along the main transit route through their country, with the foreigners forming the batons.

So if anybody is collecting registration numbers of Pakistani police Toyota pickup trucks, get in touch. I have about a hundred to pass on.

My freedom had been wiped away. There was no more sleeping on petrol station forecourts. Instead I slept on the floor of the police chief's office.

Not one truck but two. Look behind the blue one in the foreground to see the underside of a second truck, with its rear axle on the floor. Look also at the rear axle of the foreground truck. The roads out here eat suspension systems for fun.