I have lived in Lahore for 4.5 years since October 1996 and have been a regular visitor since 2003. I have many friends there, and they make me feel very welcome every time I go there. It’s a highly family-oriented country, rich in culture, and most Pakistanis will do anything for their family and friends. They are willing to work hard – I always feel sorry for the laborers toiling on road works at high noon. I just love their food, textiles, and leather products.
In 1996, I was
in Lahore and on my way to Colombo. I
had to fly from Lahore to Karachi by PIA and then to Colombo by Air Lanka. I went to Lahore airport to find out that my
flight to Karachi was canceled due to technical reasons. There was chaos. No one was there to give clear advice to the
stranded passengers. I approached a PIA
officer and asked for help. He shrugged his
shoulders and said, I quote, “This is Pakistan.” I had to go to the Air Lanka office in the
city, rebook my flights, spend two days in Karachi, and go to Colombo.
I was at
Lahore airport a few days ago, waiting in the queue for Foreign Passport
holders to emigrate. I realized that the
line was full of Pakistanis. There were
many queues for them, but only one for Foreign Passport holders. In front of me was a family that looked
educated, and a man in his forties, appeared to be the head of the clan. I complained to him that he was in the queue
for Foreigners. He, too, shrugged his
shoulders, pointed out to other Pakistanis in Foreigner’s column, and asked me
if they all looked like Foreigners. I
said that’s very smart, sarcastically.
He came back and said, “Yeah, I am smart, but you are not.” In my heart, I agreed with him. If I were smart enough, I wouldn’t have picked
up an argument with him. He continued: This is Pakistan - There’’s only one rule
here – that is, there’s NO RULE. He then
asked if I was a Sri Lankan, and I answered positively. He retorted, “Defaulters.”; and I responded, “We
are paying it back.” He didn’t have an
answer.
I then
stopped an Immigration Officer passing by and complained. He replied – Stay in the queue and wait for
your turn. The Officer who has to enforce
a rule is unwilling, and the passenger who has to follow the rule was not
complying. I had to give way to those
incorrectly denying my privilege.
They are not alone in this – most South Asians are like this. I have come across queue jumpers in India and Sri Lanka as well. I am not sure why we, the South Asians, misbehave in our home countries but follow all courtesies, rules, and etiquette when we are in the West. It must be the environment – it’s not genetic. It appears that if we care to be decent, we will not get anywhere in our home countries.
