Proud Pakistani?

khattak sahib, I am trying to build up sympathy for your 25 day wait to get a passport. But somehow I dont find it tragic enough for you to start condemning Pakistan. I am just glad you got your passport and now can leave Pakistan, and pray that your obvous desire to get rid of your Pakistani nationality is fulfilled.

Although something tells me that regardless of what nationality you have, you will still be whining. The problem, dear Brutus, is not in thy stars by in thyself.

Re: # 18
Khattak Sahib, in that case, if I were you, I will raise hell. I will go to lengths to get the extra money paid back (as long as it doesn’t cost me more to get back what is rightfully mine). Even if it means writing to the Dictator Sahib, the Minister of Interior and letters to all the newspapers. What is fair is fair. The service only gets better when the customers complain.

I just want to share an incident with you... Some years ago, I had the MTA (transit authority of New York City) reimburse me the cost of my Suit because they neglected to put a ``wet paint`` sign on a pillar to which I leaned against.

#17 i think the urgent procedure involves removal of police-enquiry clause ..(a big shots character certificate). in mumbai, i have been able to get a passport in 2 mornings worth of effort for my mother using this ``tatkal`` (express) service. i must say, it worked allright..the only issue i felt was really smelly latrines in the office..but then the fact that latrines were available for passport office was not a bad thing.

and most people who came for this with me got theirs too.

Dear Mr Kulharee and all friends, let me tell you that I had paid Rs.4,000/- as fees for an urgent passport. fees for a normal passport is Rs.2,100/-. the time duration of getting an normal passport is 15 days and for an urgent one it is 4 days. Now what do u say to that?

Ref delhiwala #3

[...Also, do you folks have that excuse, such as , we are out of Paper for Passports and come back after 6 months.

happens quite often..]

In Chennai, you are guaranteed a passport in 30 days. Yes, there is huge queue outside the passport office and there are touts too but you can just stand in line, turn in your application and you will get your passport in 30 days. The local newspaper weekly prints the most recent application date for which passports have been issued.

If you use the ``tatkal`` procedure, you will get it in 3 days.

A friend applied for passport renewal in His hometown of Trichy (it has a passport office for all the smugglers who live in the Cauvery delta!) and he had his new passport in 4 hours.

Results may vary based on your city of residence.

Re: # 14
Truly said Mr ShoreSahib. That is why I didnt curse her. It is also why I felt sorry for myself.

Khattak Sahib..if this is any consolation, it takes 4-6 weeks to get a passport in the USA too, unless extra fee is paid. As a journalist, you should raise the issue of getting passports faster for those who may need to travel overseas urgently, in cases of Deaths of loved ones, etc. If one doesn’t need to travel right away, 25 days wait is pretty reasonable. The residency issues (Karachi and NWFP) can be viewed as a bit odd. However, as a few others have suggested that because of biometric information coded in the passport, it might be that the Passport Agency field agents actually go to the applicant’s house to make sure that he/she is legit and not some Mullah Omar from Kandhahar applying as Abdul Aziz Khattak to give Pakistanis a bad name.

Hopefully, some Pakistani bureaucrats in positions to initiate changes will read your article and may think about it in their next brainstorming session on how to make lives more difficult for Pakistanis.

``I couldn’t curse her, for the men of our country tend to become the biggest advocates of woman rights in such instances. Instead, I felt sorry myself for being a citizen of this country. However, there again I had no choice but to surrender.``

What couldnt you curse the men you dealt with earlier.

The poor woman was just doing her job in a defunct system.

I understand that the little passport took a little longer than expected, but that`s no reason for you to burst that dam and dump it all over here! Take it easy, there! Journalists have to be put in the same list as everyone else, of course - and they will get to it on the double - as it pleases their fancy.

I guess your being from the press did not them impress so that makes you are really depressed!

Perhaps those officials just LIKE you too much - they are just reluctant to let go of you - you know how it is with some people!

Or they are probably just too busy at this time - busily thinking - putting all those heads together - and plotting, plotting and plotting away - on what lessons to teach mian Manto for calling their boss an opportunist bandar - or something along those lines!

A few helpful hints to expedite this tedious process for the NEXT passport seeker:

(1) Do not sing ``Saare jahan se achchha....``.

(2) Do not sing ``I love New York....``

(3) Do not sing - ``Karachi - Warachi, Pindi-Windi; main kya janoo re...``

(3) Repeat frequently - ``Jihadi....WHAT Jihadi?``

(4) Listen to the wise advice of chowkees - then do exact opposite.

And by the way... before I forget, my dear friend - CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Re: # 4
Oh no Mr Colonel! I too apprecite anyone who does what ever little he can to help this unlucky country. This article is just meant to share my experiences with friends like you about how a common man has to go through tormenting exercises for things as petty as a passport, etc.

Besides, I was born and bred in Bahrain, so I have used a passport to travel. But then it was not the machine readable ones. Hand a petty amount to the agent and wallah, you had a passport in your hands, sometimes even delivered to your home.

Actually, what astonished me during my ordeal was that I was being treated like a person from some other country. I am a journalist by profession and I even tried to convince an officer at the passport office by showing him the criteria for obtaining a passport. But hah!! so much for my press card.

On side note:-

Pakistan can only survive if it will give each and every Pakistani citizen the basic right to live and recognition fairly. Otherwise it was/is/will be a failed state.

Abdul Aziz Khattak sahib

You are so very true in writing your experience as a Pakistani citizen. Pakistani Govt. does not give an average citizen the basic right of recognition. In Pakistan only rich and powerful get this recognition to be respected as citizens.

I believe any country which fails to provide respect to it`s citizens is failed state. Pakistan is a failed state in this regard.

When I say failed to provide respect, what does it mean? It means average Pakistani citizens are deprived of their basic rights of day to day livings. Majority is still being crushed by corrupt Pakistani institutions.

Any person who has money, power, approach or resources is considered a respectable 1ist. class Pakistani citizen.
Any person who does not have money, power, approach or resources is considered less than a 3rd. class citizen.

Why is this unfairness? b/c Pakistan is hijacked by few corrupt and ignorant bunch of beasts who do not wish to see Pakistan as a successful and balanced state. Why? Quite simple ............if they do , their own selfish needs won`t be met..............................

my sardar friend wanted a passport in 1985 (after indiras gunning) .. it was like pulling teeth. extra 3 months for sardars those days.

Hinjras are far worse........now you have to have a stamp that says the passport is authentic.....to come to USA.....anyways it costs about 2500 in rishwat.........

a few years back the best ways was to give 500 to an agent and 400 to the cop for police report and your passport arrived 6 mos. later.........50-100 Rs to the postman.........

It is miserable how citizens are treated by these officials in Chandigarh passport office.......

I wanted to rip the officer`s moustache and shove it up is ass........

they are all basturds of hijras........

Stharay ma shay khattak sayb...a lot of karachiwals are convinced anything outside karachi is another country so no surprises! jokes aside..the old corrupt system was remarkably efficient..i remember one top economist writer /..wrote once how he believed that if there was no corruption the pakistani administrative system would simply collapse under the weight of its own inefficiency.

LoL ... amusing article.

I think once all the old NICs are converted to the new ones and verification completed, only then Nadra can implement the national database across the board. The current problem is that there are so many fake NICs converted to new NICs that the verification can only be done at the original place of domicile. It is just a matter of time.