Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
the little things in life that make a big difference
my short trip to Dubai involved enjoying the little things in life that make a very big difference, and these are the things Karachi lacks. This included good coffee, veggie burgers, horror movies & nachos in cinema, huge bookstores and all the shopping you can handle! not to mention some amazing company.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
citizen again!
People of all sexes and genders,
I finally received my passport today! This was because of my father primarily, and the friends he has in the FIA (Federal Investigation Agency - Pakistan). I have never, in all my life, been so happy to see my green, entirely useless, passport (useless because I need a visa for almost every country in the world, and doubly useless because I have a valid visa for none)!
Joy number 1098 of owning a passport that boasts the Islamic Republic of Pakistan: you are likely to be rejected, refused, denied, dissapointed, regretful and resentful - for most of your life.
But it is here! And I am a citizen again (whatever that means)!
And I have realized that you must do what you can, with what you have.
I finally received my passport today! This was because of my father primarily, and the friends he has in the FIA (Federal Investigation Agency - Pakistan). I have never, in all my life, been so happy to see my green, entirely useless, passport (useless because I need a visa for almost every country in the world, and doubly useless because I have a valid visa for none)!
Joy number 1098 of owning a passport that boasts the Islamic Republic of Pakistan: you are likely to be rejected, refused, denied, dissapointed, regretful and resentful - for most of your life.
But it is here! And I am a citizen again (whatever that means)!
And I have realized that you must do what you can, with what you have.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
responses
responses to my letter published in The News on 20th July 2009.
UK visa woes
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
I can relate completely to M Murad’s letter “UK visa woes” and want to share my own dreadful entanglement with the UK visa process. I have applied for a British visa but meanwhile I came upon a great opportunity to travel to India and Afghanistan on a student exchange programme. I have repeatedly written emails at addresses provided by the Gerry’s call centre to express my urgent need for the return of my passport. Mysteriously slow to respond at first, I was eventually told what to do and mailed a visa application withdrawal form to the visa section of the British High Commission on July 8 but as yet I have not received my passport. Retrieval of one’s passport should be a simple matter. However, I hope some steps are taken soon to address the numerous complaints of visa applicants and take the necessary corrective measures.
M Dost Khan, Islamabad
*****
This is with reference to the letter by M Murad published in your newspaper on July 18 titled “UK visa woes”. I applied for my student visa on March 5 and was supposed to travel to the UK for summer school at the LSE on July 4. After numerous emails, faxes and a couriered letter to the British High Commission in Abu Dhabi I was told (after more than seven weeks had passed) that there were some biometric errors with my application — something which Ms Murad also faced. Eleven weeks have passed, I had to bare extra financial cost in the form of cancellation charges for residence at the LSE and still there is no clue of where my passport is. I completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto and I have to say that I never got such shoddy treatment from the Canadian High Commission. Now all I get from Abu Dhabi is that my application is with the High Commission in Islamabad, and Islamabad staff say my application is still with Abu Dhabi staff. I am literally sick of this and want to seek forgiveness for actually applying to a university in the UK and considering it as a destination for higher education. All I want is for the British High Commission in Islamabad to simply return my passport and forgive me for ever applying!
Qazi Hassan Manzoor, Lahore
UK visa woes
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
I can relate completely to M Murad’s letter “UK visa woes” and want to share my own dreadful entanglement with the UK visa process. I have applied for a British visa but meanwhile I came upon a great opportunity to travel to India and Afghanistan on a student exchange programme. I have repeatedly written emails at addresses provided by the Gerry’s call centre to express my urgent need for the return of my passport. Mysteriously slow to respond at first, I was eventually told what to do and mailed a visa application withdrawal form to the visa section of the British High Commission on July 8 but as yet I have not received my passport. Retrieval of one’s passport should be a simple matter. However, I hope some steps are taken soon to address the numerous complaints of visa applicants and take the necessary corrective measures.
M Dost Khan, Islamabad
*****
This is with reference to the letter by M Murad published in your newspaper on July 18 titled “UK visa woes”. I applied for my student visa on March 5 and was supposed to travel to the UK for summer school at the LSE on July 4. After numerous emails, faxes and a couriered letter to the British High Commission in Abu Dhabi I was told (after more than seven weeks had passed) that there were some biometric errors with my application — something which Ms Murad also faced. Eleven weeks have passed, I had to bare extra financial cost in the form of cancellation charges for residence at the LSE and still there is no clue of where my passport is. I completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto and I have to say that I never got such shoddy treatment from the Canadian High Commission. Now all I get from Abu Dhabi is that my application is with the High Commission in Islamabad, and Islamabad staff say my application is still with Abu Dhabi staff. I am literally sick of this and want to seek forgiveness for actually applying to a university in the UK and considering it as a destination for higher education. All I want is for the British High Commission in Islamabad to simply return my passport and forgive me for ever applying!
Qazi Hassan Manzoor, Lahore
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
