Living on a Pakistani Passport

These days I have tried to increase my social circle so that I can change my employment status from unemployed to employed. However this has led me to a very important revelation. Its not exactly a revelation but kind of a reaffirmation of the fact that being Pakistani , in the outside world  can be a liability rather than a privilege.

 I recently met this guy at a telecom consulting company in Riyadh. He was Pakistani from top to toe. However I sensed something different about him. There was this aura of arrogance emanating from him. He looked Pakistani. He talked Pakistan, but no he did not feel Pakistani. I have not met many Pakistanis that have an internal pride. But he was different. In our conversation he kept mentioning how he did his masters from Australia and how that has helped him landing a well , very  very lucrative package. I couldn’t buy his story . I started an inquisition of some sorts . I told him I have many friends with a foreign education but none could land a job as you did. He grinned and said well people don’t really know the key to success here. I was curious, and asked him to elaborate. He said people over here value the nationality rather than your skills. Its kind of a marketing campaign that helps companies get contracts by telling the world we have a western employee at our company. And thus it became obvious that he was a proud aussie now and not really a Pakistani. And that was a point where flashbacks started to storm my brain. I suddenly remembered how all Pakistanis are treated like untamed animals at the airports of this friendly country. I then remembered how a country happily pays 30000 riyal per month to a western employee but would not employ a single Pakistani for more than 6000 at the same post.  I also remembered my friends telling me that they have to face constant questioning at European airports and from the European society in general just because they are ,well , Pakistani.  And thus it became clearer to me , that the people of the world have mentally deteriorated to a level where their racist thoughts value one nationality over the other . 

I kept hearing his marvelous adventures at the Australian embassy but his story made apparent to me that most of us have already sold our souls to materialism and now we are beginning to sell our pride and nation as well just to please a few racist minds.  I don’t know if I would have been any different if I was in his shoes , because in all sincerity , Pakistanis are perhaps the only people in the world who get a horrid time both in their own country and abroad.   And seeing  how we treat our citizens in Pakistan , some question whether  we really are Pakistanis or not ?

That’s a difficult question to answer for it would seem in our homeland , Pakistanis are but a few feudals who rule us like slaves. Many people are emancipated from this slavery when they get a foreign nationality. It’s a sad predicament that we have to face but I still strongly believe that its not enough ,yet, to sell our home land just for the pleasure of some twisted , racist minds.