Actually, the Himalayas do extend into Pakistan. There are six countries in which the Himalayan mountains run, and Pakistan is one of them. For instance, K2 (the second highest mountain on Earth and in the Himalayan range) is on the border between Pakistan and China.
Geography of the mountain range aside, I don't think the salt comes from the actual mountains. I was in a really cool salt shop and their literature said it came from near the Himalayas but not in them ( I think maybe 200 miles away, or something close to that?). I'm sure the name "
Best Himalayan Salt Lamp Review & Benefits of himalayan salt lamp" was coined because it sounds much more exotic, and is more marketable, than "Pakistani Salt."
I think of it as being like when i went to BC Canada and all the tourist spots had "Canadian Maple Syrup" for sale in expensive little bottles. Sure, it was from Canada, but from clear across the country.
And yep, it is definitely mined, but then all non-sea salt needs to be. This particular "sea" salt is from really ancient sea beds: about 600 million years old. The salt is supposed to be very, very pure as far as salt deposits go (97% sodium chloride as opposed to a more common 94% in mined salt), but I don't know the actual mineral makeup. As for pollution and other chemical contaminates: I think it is pretty logical that the deposits, despite not being in the Himalayas, have been well protected deep within the Earth for millions of years and are probably as un-polluted as it gets.
The mine is supposed to be the second largest salt mine in the world. It is the Khewra salt mine, and there is lots of info on it if you do a web search. It's been a source of salt for people since before 300 BC, and actual mining started in the 1200's AD (I think There is a lot of interesting history surrounding it. Apparently it is a huge tourist attraction, and thousands of people visit it every year. There is a beautiful mosque inside made out of salt blocks: it is really lovely.
As for the actual mineral content and the fluoride concerns... i don't know, honestly. Some sources out there say it is really high in fluoride, and other sources say otherwise. Probably the only way to be sure would be to find someone independent, who doesn't have anything to gain or lose by the results, and get a good analysis done. Since many of the sites who are providing the analysis are either selling the salt or are vehemently against it it is hard to know who is telling the truth.
And as to whether it is this amazing miracle salt that all the hype would lead us to believe... I think probably not. It seems to me that the health industry loves to promote cool products, and neat things like this really take off on the health retail market and become a big fad. Some of the claims they make about the salt do seem a little "scammish."
The salt itself is beautiful, the lamps are gorgeous, the salt serving platters are a cool idea, the salt cooking platforms are awesome, and I'm sure it tastes lovely. But at the end of the day I don't think of it as one of those "must have" health items. There are lots of really great sources of salt out there, and this is but one of them.
