I spoke out against this behaviour of the passport office staff and their response was first to ask me to be quiet.
LAHORE: My experience at the passport office in Garden Town on February 19 was harrowing, to say the least. I went with my two children and as soon as I reached the place I was swamped by touts. The going rate was Rs800 for quick processing. I decided to wait in line like most other people. However, after three hours of waiting, I saw people who had come after me being processed before me.
I spoke out against this behaviour of the passport office staff and their response was first to ask me to be quiet, and when I persisted they said that this was “the way things are done in Pakistan”. Although I went to the office at 8:30 am, I wasn’t done till around 5 pm. While in the office of the assistant director, a man came and said that an applicant had a daughter who did not want to wait. The official responded by saying that she should come the next day at noon and he would ensure that she would not have to wait!
Aisha Ahmad
Published in The Express Tribune, February 22nd, 2011.
