How to apply for a Visa (for Pakistanis)

Not too long ago I chanced to go to the diplomatic enclave in Islamabad for a visa interview. Now those of you, who like me have been born and raised in Islamabad, or are generally familiar with it, will remember the days when diplomatic enclave was this sleepy sector on the edge of the town (the starting edge that is) with rather bumpy roads, shrubbery, buildings here and there with flags identifying who they are (or not) and general peace and quiet. You could drive around the streets at a leisurely 40kph, having a generally happy time playing the flag game, trying to identify what flag is that you’re seeing, losing your way and finally parking across the road in front of your intended destination, get your work done and happily drive away. Living that my family was at the OTHER edge of the city (F/11) it took us half an hour to get to the enclave, 15 minutes to an hour getting done whatever we came for (which was mostly a relative asking us to pick their passport or something since we live in Islamabad) and then go our way.

No more is this the case. Since 9/11, Al-Qaida, religious fundamentalists, bomb blasts and suicide bombings, diplomatic enclave is now a walled fortress with forbidding gates which a mere mortal must dare not approach. You turn right some 500 meters from the gates and then take a side road into a parking lot. You park your car and then pass through a security check where they strip you of your cell phones, electronics and bags that are larger than a specific size and of course you’re searched. Once deemed ‘not-a-security-risk’ you head towards this ticket booth that has counters marked with names of different embassies. Here they sell you entry and exit tickets for the diplomatic enclave, with the name of the embassy you’re heading for on it. If the embassy of your interest is not listed, stand in any line and they’ll scribble the name on a blank ticket and hand it to you. Then you go onwards to this waiting area where they have about 6 lines, each marked with boards bearing the name of various embassies. You stand in the relevant line and then wait for a bus to drop you off to your destination. The buses run in a round-robin fashion, i.e. they stuff as many people as fit from the first line into the first arriving bus, the next bus then picks up people from the next line and so on. If you’re at the end of your line which is 5 rounds away … then tough luck … be prepared to wait in the line for anything between and hour to an hour and a half. Thankfully the bus arrives, you get stuffed into it and after less than a 5 minute ride, you are dropped at the first signpost that says the name of whatever embassy you’re headed to. You get off, walk for 10 minutes or so, hopefully reach at the time of your appointment (I barely made it) and you’re done in 15 minutes! And then on your way back you wait for some 15-20 minutes for any bus heading back to the parking area so you can hitch a ride on it.

I had a 9:00 am appointment for which I left home around 6:45 am and still BARELY made it!

Oh and you might say that they are doing it in the spirit of public service … but no … parking is 10 Rs. Entry ticket is 15 Rs. And exit ticket is another 15 Rs! Trust our administration to come up with money making ideas. Where all the money actually goes …. is an entirely different story!!