Troubles of a Pakistani passport
Getting looked at with suspicion is worst feeling ever when you mean no harm, are just travelling to another country.
Recently, I went to Paris through IBA to attend the Paris International Model United Nations taking place at La Sorbonne University. I had a connecting flight from Karachi to Doha, and then from Doha to Paris. After waiting for four hours at the Doha Airport, I approached the gate in order to catch my next flight to Paris.
As soon as I presented my passport to an officer at the airport, the smile left his face. He flipped my passport twice just to double check the country. He asked me how long I would be staying in Paris for and how much money I was carrying. I showed him my return ticket along with 600 Euros to assure him that I would be returning to Pakistan within five days. After a few other questions, he let me go. What bothered me was the fact that other passengers weren’t asked any questions and he was letting them go after checking their boarding passes only.
After an eight hour long flight, I landed in Paris. That feeling of being in Paris was irreplaceable and overwhelming because I was at one of the most beautiful cities of the world. After a couple of minutes, I was directed towards the security post where I had to get my documents verified. As I approached the counter, the operator asked me to present my visa. When I looked up to present my return ticket, I saw wrinkles on the officer’s forehead. And here we go again: the green passport had gotten me in trouble...yet again! While people were getting done with their security checks within five minutes at the next counter, it took me 15 to 20 minutes to convince the officer that I was only there to attend a conference and that I was officially invited by the La Sorbonne University. And the officer did not get convinced until I started speaking in French, utilising the two semesters of French language that I took at IBA. It was then when he uttered the magical words, “You are good to go!”
Getting looked at with suspicion is the worst feeling ever when you mean no harm and are just travelling to another country. I don’t blame these airport officials and travel airlines because had I been in their shoes, I probably would have done the same thing. But regardless of all this, I am proud to be a Pakistani and I want to tell the world that not all Pakistanis are terrorists, bombers, and criminals.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 30th, 2014.
As soon as I presented my passport to an officer at the airport, the smile left his face. He flipped my passport twice just to double check the country. He asked me how long I would be staying in Paris for and how much money I was carrying. I showed him my return ticket along with 600 Euros to assure him that I would be returning to Pakistan within five days. After a few other questions, he let me go. What bothered me was the fact that other passengers weren’t asked any questions and he was letting them go after checking their boarding passes only.
After an eight hour long flight, I landed in Paris. That feeling of being in Paris was irreplaceable and overwhelming because I was at one of the most beautiful cities of the world. After a couple of minutes, I was directed towards the security post where I had to get my documents verified. As I approached the counter, the operator asked me to present my visa. When I looked up to present my return ticket, I saw wrinkles on the officer’s forehead. And here we go again: the green passport had gotten me in trouble...yet again! While people were getting done with their security checks within five minutes at the next counter, it took me 15 to 20 minutes to convince the officer that I was only there to attend a conference and that I was officially invited by the La Sorbonne University. And the officer did not get convinced until I started speaking in French, utilising the two semesters of French language that I took at IBA. It was then when he uttered the magical words, “You are good to go!”
Getting looked at with suspicion is the worst feeling ever when you mean no harm and are just travelling to another country. I don’t blame these airport officials and travel airlines because had I been in their shoes, I probably would have done the same thing. But regardless of all this, I am proud to be a Pakistani and I want to tell the world that not all Pakistanis are terrorists, bombers, and criminals.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 30th, 2014.