The senior writer Naeem Sadiq in his Article 15 july 2014 entitled “A lean bureaucracy” describes his visit to a Sindh Government Office at 11.00 a.m where out of nine officers ought to have been present on their seats not one had yet arrived. I wish the learned writer takes up, just to test my words, as a complaint to the Sindh Ombudsman when on rejoinder stage he would find as if he was the biggest liar in the city. On this background taking about the dysfunctional bureaucracy he quotes how last month the Indian PM in a “brilliant” move asked bureaucrats to repeal all laws and rules that come in the way of effective governance. He suggested Indian Government departments to do away with the attestation of certificates by gazetted officers. Instead, the Indian PM desires the documents should be self-attested. The Indian PM identified 10 rules that can be scrapped or revisited to make them more relevant to current time. After quoting this the learned writer feels it was time for the bureaucracy in Pakistan to learn a lesson or two from its neighbour.
2. Three four years back I requested Overseas Pakistanis foundation (OPF) Islamabad to let me have full procedural details for transfer of a plot. OPF under the cover of its official letter sent me a set of about 8-10 prescribed specimen of affidavits, indemnity bond, statements, declaration etc to be completed and got attested from the Pakistan Embassy. The applicant had only to include his/her name, address, property markings etc in the blanks. After properly typing those texts on judicial stamp papers by filling up all the information I submitted the set to the Pakistan Embassy Bahrain for attestation. Attestation abroad is not that easy as absence from work for such purposes abroad is too difficult not for self also but more for the two witnesses to accompany with you. I spent approximately Rs. 10,000 plus on this attestation after which these documents were presented to the Housing Division of OPF Head Office Islamabad where the concerned Assistant Director threw it saying these were not acceptable.
3. I telephoned the Director OPF Lahore who told me attestation from Pakistan Embassies, as an official policy, was not acceptable to the OPF since the attestation from our Embassies was not trustworthy. I had to travel to Lahore where the Director directed me to go to a particular Estate Agent to get all the said Documents get freshly prepared from him. At an additional cost of about Rs. 5,000 (travel expenses extra) I g0t the Documents prepared (typed) from said Estate Agent. It can happen only in our beloved country that the specimen documents to be used by thousands are not upload on the official OPF Website. Why? The estate Agents told me that he was not an formally an official agent of OPF but confirmed that the OPF had facilitated him access to its internal Server System to upload the documents for sale to customers like me. The Agent later confirmed in writing he had this access. Some of the Print Outs from the Estate Agent’s computer I found were already pre-attested by a Justice of Peace which is an illegal act. I approached the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and to the then Prime Minister, President, Mr. Anwer Beg PPP Senator and some others that if Embassies attestation was not trustworthy why then OPF was advising the documents to be attested from there. As usual I never got any response. I approached the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that if its attestation was not recognized why then the Ministry wasting huge on keeping consular sections and why charging from the people abroad. It too never answered. I approached, then, to the so called protector of citizens rights and the one who officially claims himself as “Citizen’s Friend” viz the Federal Ombudsman who never even acknowledged me which in itself was an act of mal administration by the Federal Ombudsman himself. Like millions from silent majority I too had wrongly attached my last hopes from the so called “new born” judiciary which in fact proved “new birth” of Iftikhar Mohammad Choudhry and turning of black coats a new most powerful pillar of the state. He had so many times repeated, like our politicians do, that “no one will be allowed to loot the public”. I approached him against this official looting but he remained busy in Swiss money hence could not find time for this due logical issue affecting thousands of Overseas Pakistanis. Learned S.M. Zafar had for years been advocating people that no system would deliver them unless the people themselves did not start protesting and struggling on injustices to them. I could not approach him to know from him after so much struggle if still there was any Forum left for me to approach and struggle.
4. Last year a young colleague of mine approached a High court senior advocate in Kohat for attestation of an Affidavit. He charged Rs. 1000/- attested and signed it. When that document was presented to the Bahraini Court, it was a shame when the Court returned it showing its surprise that while the Advocate had certified none of the six Deponent signatories had signed the Affidavit. If Pakistani medical reports or legal documents were not trusted abroad the foreign authorities can’t be blamed. I sent the copy of this document to the Secretary Kohat Bar Association for not to get any response, as I had expected. At the moment there are 5 original Declarations concerning Zakat Exemption lying before me which are with personal particulars blank, unsigned by the potential Deponents but the Advocates of Karachi having attested those in token of “Signed Before Me”. Earlier I had sent some similar pre-attested blanks to Iftikhar Mohammad Choudhary just to show him what was the actual state of legal affairs in the country.
5. The learned Naeem Sadiq perhaps does not remember that during the second tenure of PML(N), Nawaz Sharif desired to simplify the public dealing procedures to make life of public easy. Immediately, the Sui Northern Gas Lahore introduced a new condition viz with the new connection applications attachment of “copy of paid bill of the neighbor”. Would my next door neighbor give me paid copy of current telephone, gas, electricity, municipality bill? This surely made the life of public “easy”.
2. Three four years back I requested Overseas Pakistanis foundation (OPF) Islamabad to let me have full procedural details for transfer of a plot. OPF under the cover of its official letter sent me a set of about 8-10 prescribed specimen of affidavits, indemnity bond, statements, declaration etc to be completed and got attested from the Pakistan Embassy. The applicant had only to include his/her name, address, property markings etc in the blanks. After properly typing those texts on judicial stamp papers by filling up all the information I submitted the set to the Pakistan Embassy Bahrain for attestation. Attestation abroad is not that easy as absence from work for such purposes abroad is too difficult not for self also but more for the two witnesses to accompany with you. I spent approximately Rs. 10,000 plus on this attestation after which these documents were presented to the Housing Division of OPF Head Office Islamabad where the concerned Assistant Director threw it saying these were not acceptable.
3. I telephoned the Director OPF Lahore who told me attestation from Pakistan Embassies, as an official policy, was not acceptable to the OPF since the attestation from our Embassies was not trustworthy. I had to travel to Lahore where the Director directed me to go to a particular Estate Agent to get all the said Documents get freshly prepared from him. At an additional cost of about Rs. 5,000 (travel expenses extra) I g0t the Documents prepared (typed) from said Estate Agent. It can happen only in our beloved country that the specimen documents to be used by thousands are not upload on the official OPF Website. Why? The estate Agents told me that he was not an formally an official agent of OPF but confirmed that the OPF had facilitated him access to its internal Server System to upload the documents for sale to customers like me. The Agent later confirmed in writing he had this access. Some of the Print Outs from the Estate Agent’s computer I found were already pre-attested by a Justice of Peace which is an illegal act. I approached the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and to the then Prime Minister, President, Mr. Anwer Beg PPP Senator and some others that if Embassies attestation was not trustworthy why then OPF was advising the documents to be attested from there. As usual I never got any response. I approached the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that if its attestation was not recognized why then the Ministry wasting huge on keeping consular sections and why charging from the people abroad. It too never answered. I approached, then, to the so called protector of citizens rights and the one who officially claims himself as “Citizen’s Friend” viz the Federal Ombudsman who never even acknowledged me which in itself was an act of mal administration by the Federal Ombudsman himself. Like millions from silent majority I too had wrongly attached my last hopes from the so called “new born” judiciary which in fact proved “new birth” of Iftikhar Mohammad Choudhry and turning of black coats a new most powerful pillar of the state. He had so many times repeated, like our politicians do, that “no one will be allowed to loot the public”. I approached him against this official looting but he remained busy in Swiss money hence could not find time for this due logical issue affecting thousands of Overseas Pakistanis. Learned S.M. Zafar had for years been advocating people that no system would deliver them unless the people themselves did not start protesting and struggling on injustices to them. I could not approach him to know from him after so much struggle if still there was any Forum left for me to approach and struggle.
4. Last year a young colleague of mine approached a High court senior advocate in Kohat for attestation of an Affidavit. He charged Rs. 1000/- attested and signed it. When that document was presented to the Bahraini Court, it was a shame when the Court returned it showing its surprise that while the Advocate had certified none of the six Deponent signatories had signed the Affidavit. If Pakistani medical reports or legal documents were not trusted abroad the foreign authorities can’t be blamed. I sent the copy of this document to the Secretary Kohat Bar Association for not to get any response, as I had expected. At the moment there are 5 original Declarations concerning Zakat Exemption lying before me which are with personal particulars blank, unsigned by the potential Deponents but the Advocates of Karachi having attested those in token of “Signed Before Me”. Earlier I had sent some similar pre-attested blanks to Iftikhar Mohammad Choudhary just to show him what was the actual state of legal affairs in the country.
5. The learned Naeem Sadiq perhaps does not remember that during the second tenure of PML(N), Nawaz Sharif desired to simplify the public dealing procedures to make life of public easy. Immediately, the Sui Northern Gas Lahore introduced a new condition viz with the new connection applications attachment of “copy of paid bill of the neighbor”. Would my next door neighbor give me paid copy of current telephone, gas, electricity, municipality bill? This surely made the life of public “easy”.
