PS: This was written in second week of October 2008 but due to physical reason is posted in February 2009
My family boarded Thursday evening 09 October 2008 for a foreign journey from Karachi International Airport. My family tells me it was really a very comfortable journey right from the beginning. Our PIA frequent flying journeys during the last 23 years had always in fact been of much comfort, but only to the extent of flying in the air with family like cabin crew. The reservations had always been problem. My wife is all praised for the ASF staff at the last leg of departure lounge. She tells me that both the ladies; one sitting near the hand bag screening machine and the other for body searching were so smiley and friendly. I am a person who is never ever Kanjoos in thanking and appreciating a good.
When traveled December 2007 for similar journey she had a horrified experience. After having taking her boarding card and clearance from the Immigration, the two ladies at ASF counter asked her to remove four pieces of bangles she was wearing. They did not tell why. My wife had since been traveling at an average twice a year and had never in the past faced such situation hence naturally she became embarrassed particularly having reading daily stories about law and order in our streets. When she enquired as to why one of them physically tried to catch hold of her arm and tried a little to remove the bangles. At this according to my wife some other passengers seeing all this stopped there. My wife became more puzzled when one of the ladies told my wife that in case these could not be removed then they will let her go as it is. Since my wife was embarrassed and now a bit frightened a passenger advised her to return back some other place, remove and put the bangles in her bag or hand over back to some relative who had come outside to see her off. The stranger passenger offered his mobile to my wife if she wanted to speak to anyone outside the airport. My wife came back to the duty free shops where at her comfort she removed her bangles, put them in her hand bag and again reported to the Security check. Waiting for the flight still in an embarrassed conditions a few sitting there who had seen all this put a word of sympathy with her. These four pieces bangles were the same which she was wearing three months ago when she arrived Karachi from abroad and at foreign embarking airport no body asked her to remove.
Being a housewife she could not explain me properly which staff it was but she told me the staff was wearing light blue uniforms and she noted down names of concerned two ladies and one male supervisor who looked all this with amusement. Immediately next morning I reported this to the Karachi Airport Manager as well as CAA for investigation. As usual there was silence. Failing to get any response after reminders over reminders, through the office of Senator Nisar Memon I got a reply that since my wife was upset due to the death of mother hence she had actually already put her bangles in her hand bag before arriving at ASF which she forgot and at the security counter she raised the alarm that those were missing.
Since then I have repeatedly approached CAA Karachi, the concerned Ministry, OPF, Senator Nisar Memon of Senate Committee on Defence, out gone President Pervaiz Musharraf etc requesting that in order to ascertain the truths arrangement may please be made in some Mosque where my wife holding Holy Quran in her hand would narrate her version of the story as briefed above and at same time the concerned three staffer holding Holy Quran in their hands narrate their version. In my this request I further undertook that my wife will travel to Pakistan to take this solemn oath at her own expense and she will also produce two three lady witnesses, one a teacher of my child, who within the next one month to that incident came from Pakistan but nobody asked them to remove and check their gold ornaments under the label of new rule. I kept sending reminders over reminders but after having passed more than one year I have stopped. But as a conscientious citizen in this old age I can not stop recording as I believe our religion stressed that speak out on any injustice. I have spoken loudly, if no body listens then it may be ALLAH's wish as such.
My family boarded Thursday evening 09 October 2008 for a foreign journey from Karachi International Airport. My family tells me it was really a very comfortable journey right from the beginning. Our PIA frequent flying journeys during the last 23 years had always in fact been of much comfort, but only to the extent of flying in the air with family like cabin crew. The reservations had always been problem. My wife is all praised for the ASF staff at the last leg of departure lounge. She tells me that both the ladies; one sitting near the hand bag screening machine and the other for body searching were so smiley and friendly. I am a person who is never ever Kanjoos in thanking and appreciating a good.
When traveled December 2007 for similar journey she had a horrified experience. After having taking her boarding card and clearance from the Immigration, the two ladies at ASF counter asked her to remove four pieces of bangles she was wearing. They did not tell why. My wife had since been traveling at an average twice a year and had never in the past faced such situation hence naturally she became embarrassed particularly having reading daily stories about law and order in our streets. When she enquired as to why one of them physically tried to catch hold of her arm and tried a little to remove the bangles. At this according to my wife some other passengers seeing all this stopped there. My wife became more puzzled when one of the ladies told my wife that in case these could not be removed then they will let her go as it is. Since my wife was embarrassed and now a bit frightened a passenger advised her to return back some other place, remove and put the bangles in her bag or hand over back to some relative who had come outside to see her off. The stranger passenger offered his mobile to my wife if she wanted to speak to anyone outside the airport. My wife came back to the duty free shops where at her comfort she removed her bangles, put them in her hand bag and again reported to the Security check. Waiting for the flight still in an embarrassed conditions a few sitting there who had seen all this put a word of sympathy with her. These four pieces bangles were the same which she was wearing three months ago when she arrived Karachi from abroad and at foreign embarking airport no body asked her to remove.
Being a housewife she could not explain me properly which staff it was but she told me the staff was wearing light blue uniforms and she noted down names of concerned two ladies and one male supervisor who looked all this with amusement. Immediately next morning I reported this to the Karachi Airport Manager as well as CAA for investigation. As usual there was silence. Failing to get any response after reminders over reminders, through the office of Senator Nisar Memon I got a reply that since my wife was upset due to the death of mother hence she had actually already put her bangles in her hand bag before arriving at ASF which she forgot and at the security counter she raised the alarm that those were missing.
Since then I have repeatedly approached CAA Karachi, the concerned Ministry, OPF, Senator Nisar Memon of Senate Committee on Defence, out gone President Pervaiz Musharraf etc requesting that in order to ascertain the truths arrangement may please be made in some Mosque where my wife holding Holy Quran in her hand would narrate her version of the story as briefed above and at same time the concerned three staffer holding Holy Quran in their hands narrate their version. In my this request I further undertook that my wife will travel to Pakistan to take this solemn oath at her own expense and she will also produce two three lady witnesses, one a teacher of my child, who within the next one month to that incident came from Pakistan but nobody asked them to remove and check their gold ornaments under the label of new rule. I kept sending reminders over reminders but after having passed more than one year I have stopped. But as a conscientious citizen in this old age I can not stop recording as I believe our religion stressed that speak out on any injustice. I have spoken loudly, if no body listens then it may be ALLAH's wish as such.
