EDITORIAL: Is it Fair, Mr. Blair?
By the Editor

DISCARDING the concept of the world as a ‘global village’, most of the nations in the West, with the United Kingdom atop are seriously contemplating to check the entry of people from diverse vicinities of the globe by enacting powerful laws, which shall come in to force at once sans any elucidation.

Credible sources say; amid such a scenario, the most affected class of people would be Muslims from the world over explicitly Pakistanis who have contributed a lot in ameliorating the socio-economic environs of the British Empire.

Least uptight about the fate of its’ hefty source of income via admission of overseas students, who are and have always been paying a hefty amount in the silhouette of fee to schools and colleges in the UK, the Tony Blair Government is reported to be planning to reshape the visa forms for the youth, who have been aspiring to seek comparatively advanced knowledge at the British educational institutions.

To be filled with a lot of questions, not only about the academic accomplishments of the student, the form in the offing would extract all-out info of each and every applicant, even to the extent of the full-fledged backdrop of each ones’ relatives at home and most exclusively in the UK. A type of digestion or psychological surgery of the aspirants, the application form is to be phrased as ‘Student Select Form’, which would optimistically weed-out a bulk majority having fantasy of ‘advanced studies’.

Such forms have been set in motion as annexure to the previous ones with a lot of in-depth and comprehensive questions about the family perspective of every student, desirous of seeking admission in any educational set-up of UK. The questions require every info with individual names of almost every relation as to what does he or she do except the kin's specific choice on meals.

Whereas, the current two-page form for visa was deemed to be a bit simple, the new one may give a complex look, virtually difficult to respond with a lot of odd and bizarre queries. Significantly, the money accumulated in millions from the overseas students has been benefiting the British students who, by and large, have had a prerogative to accomplish their goals, free of cost.

The obstacles are evident from a solo episode which was witnessed by a Pakistani student at the visa section of the British High Commission in Islamabad, a couple of days ago, where only two lucky ones [for the raison d’être best known to the benefactors] were able to ascertain visa for higher studies in the UK from among a lot of almost seven to eight hundreds, who were called for interview just on one day.

Almost same is the plight of the other classes of visa applicants, a majority of whom get back with pulled faces and that too in the wake of prolonged and taxing efforts plus strenuous exercise in the wee hours of the call-in day in the lap of the magnificent Convention Centre, which has been turned into a tarmac for take-off to diverse embassies [not countries] including that of the United Kingdom.

Not to talk of intending visitors or even a number of those who have kin in the UK, even professional journalists from Pakistan are denied visa to travel to UK even if they are appointed by any apex national daily and assigned as a foreign correspondent without becoming a burden on the British exchequer as all the expenses for such a posting is to be borne by the newspaper they belong too.

If such a media man goes for appeal vis-à-vis the ‘verdict’ of the BHC interviewer (s), he is advised to wait for ‘an indefinite period’, which may eventually go not merely into weeks or months, but even beyond years, in addition to the fate of Visa Fee witheld by the BHC. Ironically, such a case, which ought to be decided within seven working days in line with the permit-free employment, an unambiguous proviso available at the website of the British Home Office how would one assess his fate, marked by a state of uncertainty?

I posed a question to a dazzling soul with the words; "what would be the reaction of the British authorities or media, if such a treatment is received by a British journalist from Pakistan’s High Commission in the UK?" Yet it remains unanswered to-date with an absolute ‘mum’. It will not be less than a miracle if at all, I’ll be in a position to seek any reply or feedback to my query ever.

Anyway, no country including UK has any right to inflict scorn or insult on media of the other by refusing sans any justifiable reason, the appointment or posting of a Foreign Correspondent of any apex news daily of Pakistan for which the UK's Home Office, itself has defined in clear-cut words providing unrestricted proviso for such assignment (s) and phrased as; the Category of Permit Free Employment.

Since, the destiny of every applicant, summoned by the Visa section—even those who are known as the highly-skilled professionals rests with solo intellect of the interviewer [with full prerogatives] by and large amid the shades of qualms and reservations, flickering from behind the plastic windows with flurry of torrential questions—even neglecting ones' neat, clean, fair and golden intentions, wouldn’t it be apt to scrape such 'Categories', if they are ought not to be put into practice?

I think, as and when such a situation surfaces, most of the people must be feeling to go by the axiom of Oscar Wilde; ‘I like talking to a brick wall. I find it is the only thing that never contradicts me.’

If countries like UK, which fall in the realms of 'civilized world' would resort to such an act towards students and media [eager to seek newest knowledge available alone with such nation (s)] what would one expect from those countries whom the West terms as 'developing nations or the third world with limited resources?'

Seemingly, the British government is all-set to reduce the issuance of visas to the minimal.

And amid the restricted laws, being contemplated by the Government, headed by a prima facie symbol of ‘boldness’ Tony Blair, one wonders if any-one would be able to travel the UK, even in emergency, to see their aged or ailing relatives who hail from Pakistan and most exclusively from multiple areas of Azad Kashmir who are the holders of the blessed maroon passport, a sacrosanct document by all perceptions and parameters from the British viewpoint.

Or, at the best, the government functionaries with diplomatic passport may ultimately benefit from the UK’s generosity to ‘permit’ any-one at Heathrow or elsewhere.

It looks that the British Government is inflicting such restriction under the pretext of the tragic episode of 7/7 [wherein no Pakistani have had any link in any mode or manner which, as per present upshot of enquiries has been proved beyond any shadow of doubt] but a design to put into motion the exodus or expulsion of aliens with one plea or the other seems imminent. Such a course which may be phrased as ‘eviction of the aliens’ with focus on Pakistanis.

Captivatingly, no other realm around the orb like European Union [EU] has imposed such paradoxical limitations or restrictions on the birthright of any human being to travel to anywhere one desire.

Not even the solo superpower of the world the United States, which despite the catastrophe of lofty magnitude, commonly known as the 9/11 tragedy, which took lovely and precious lives in almost five digits by the nasty acts of Al-Qaeda backed terrorists has imposed such restraints for anyone.

Instead, the United States has of-late simplified the voyage procedure for law-abiding peoples if one analyses with an honest and truthful approach. It has evolved logical and methodical modus operandi for every peaceable citizen from anywhere in the world irrespective of ones’ faith, gender, caste, colour, creed or credo to seek US visa to travel anywhere on its’ soil.

While offering our best salute to the US Visa Policy where the Government, sometimes owns even the private draws like lottery as legitimate one would like to pose a question to the UK; is it the reward for those [the people of South Asia] whom London ruled for well over two centuries through its East India Company, which initially landed in search of salt and pepper [in an epoch when UK was faced with a lot of perils] but eventually became the Ruler of an atypical style to which pragmatic historians stand witness and every episode is indexed in the lexicon of the British Raj in an overt style?

Anyway, if this is the outlook or if other way round phrased as the state of mind of the UK towards the people of a distinguished key ally Pakistan on war against the menace of terrorism, how would other countries primarily the elfins would expect a good healing or dealing from the majestic empire?

Like every nation of the orb, it is the judicious right of the Government of Pakistan to take instant cognizance of such a scenario whereby its’ citizens are being meted out a bigoted treatment by the British authorities without any fault on the part—whatsoever. Lest the British policies on Visa become more stringent for Pakistanis—with a lot of flood waters passing beneath the ‘Bridges of Friendship’, which is and has been proliferated by the British leaders—time and again.

We feel optimistic that that not only Islamabad will take-up this paradoxical course with the British rulers with a call to eschew such an unjustified treatment towards law-abiding Pakistanis—so that they can feel at ease, absolutely free from and all types of problematic environs.

Of-course in line with Blair’s commitments with the overseas Pakistanis and Jack Straw’s zestful love for best relations between Muslims and Christianity—which are identically sacred—as the firm believer of one God, Allah Almighty—the Creator.

While fully support strongest action against the extremists in war against terrorist—whatever dwelling they have or wherever such nasty species hail from.

At the same time, we would expect that the innocents shall not be made ‘scapegoats’ by depriving them from their right to travel around the globe, shedding all steps which can plug such vistas—and instead a judicious approach and equilibrium shall hallmark—the British Visa policy—towards which a lot of eyebrows are being lifted now-a-days due to obvious reasons—as not to talk of commoners—it has capped even the exchange of intellectuals, with journalists/analyst atop, who can play a pivotal role to bring nations together by disseminating realistic info and making all types of misconceptions as well as misunderstanding—evaporated in a robust way—for all times to come.

One has to admit that the new epoch, can in no way afford a nation in a state of isolation. Peoples in the ‘global village’ have to work hands-in-hands with sincerity for mutual benefit of each-other—opening requisite milieu for the affluence of civilizations—the world-over.

With these realities, we hope that UK shall review its Visa policy by lifting undue embargoes—at-once to enable to students seek best and modern knowledge and highbrows—with journalists atop to interact with their British colleagues—to think-up on topics to make to world—free from all kinds of problems.

Simultaneously, would we expect that Pakistan's Foreign Office shall take-up this problematic topic, being faced by Pakistanis with the British High Commissioner Mark Lyall Grant with the same zest as Mr. Grant invariably rays by calling Pakistan as his second home in the wake of his perceptible 'love for Pakistanis' for overt reasons that his ancestral or familial were amongst those who ruled this part of the Erath planet—not for decades but for centuries?● 

 -  Mumtaz Hamid Rao
www.MumtazRao.net