June 6, 2004

A visit to the Catalan capital reveals Pakistanis making a positive contribution to Spanish society

I found Barcelona to be one of the most exciting cities in Spain. The architecture and overall layout of the city varies from Gothic to Gaudi, with grandiose buildings, exquisite statues, fountains, parks and plazas. Barcelona seemed to have an identity entirely of its own. If you travel there from the south, where a spectacular Muslim past is still very much present, Barcelona definitely holds out to be very European.

Barcelona is the throbbing heart and soul of Catalonia. It is a vibrant and a fun filled place, with sounds of music, performers, mimes, artists and artisans. Like other Spanish metropolis, La Rambla has the hub of the city, where you would think everyone has come from some other land, speaking some other language. Natives and tourists mingle; shops that sell souvenirs line the streets along with a healthy presence of fast-food places.

It was one of those early evenings, when my mind was wondering and revealing the epiphanies of La Rambla. I was enjoying my coffee in a cafe, watching the mimes entertaining the passersby when a somewhat familiar figure stood in front of me. He was selling flowers and was familiar because he looked like as if he belonged to my part of the world. The words that were coming out of his mouth were Spanish, so I gave it a shot. I asked him in Urdu, where was he from? His eyes lit up when he realized that I too was from his part of the world.

“Jhelum”, he said. In the ensuing conversation, he revealed that he was living there illegally. He had hitched a boat ride to Almeira and in eight months had finally made it to Barcelona. He had applied for a work permit and while that was in the process, he had found a job in a fast-food place. To supplement his income he sold flowers at night. He said he made about 400 to 500 euros a month. He lived with eight other people in a house. His expenses were for the bare minimum. Whatever amount he could save he would send it home. This was my first meeting with a trakhero, meaning foreigner.

There are about 14,000 trakheros from Pakistan in Barcelona alone. Another one of them, Shakeel told me that for most immigrants the process of immigration was quite legal. He has a valid work permit and works for a commuter rail company. Those who arrive legally get all the paper work done in Pakistan through the Spanish Embassy. Shakeel was not so lucky; he arrived illegally and had to wait for two years, before he got his papers. “Why Spain?” I asked him. “Spanish regulations for migrant workers are the best in Europe and even the illegal migrant gets his work permit in due time. All legal workers pay their taxes and get benefits in return,” he explained. For most of them the benefit of free medical services was number one. Another factor that was mentioned by all the others who I talked to was that the Spanish people are extremely warm and welcoming. “They have the same family values as we do,” said one. Tolerant and laid back to an extent that they allow Muslims to build a mosque, but without a minaret!

That was all very well, but what do the Spanish think of the Pakistanis? “They are very hardworking, honest and friendly people,” said one Spanish, while another expressed joy at the fact that they kept their shops open till late at night and also on weekends. With the Pakistanis came desi food and that was a hot favourite with the Spanish too. The fact that they never got involved in any violation of the laws was admired.

No one who I spoke to had any disparaging remarks about my countrymen. They were unanimous in declaring that the Pakistanis were law-abiding, hardworking, pleasant and honest people. “We lost 14,000 of our best men to Spain”, is the thought that came to my mind!

I asked Muzammil Hussain Bajwa, why did he and others like him leave Pakistan? With all their potential, wouldn’t they be happier at home? Bajwa told me that majority of the migrant population is from rural areas of Punjab, and have, at best, primary or secondary level education. Their fathers worked on their lands. But with larger families now and subsequent division of agricultural land, they could hardly eke out a living, leave alone supporting their family.

To them, going abroad means earning a lot of money and supporting their family members back at home. “Will you return earning a desired amount of money?” I asked. He did not answer me directly — as if staring at the future with a melange of hope and despair. He momentarily paused and then continued on saying how he was making arrangements to get his family over here — almost as if he was convincing himself that he would wrest such a fate in spite of all the odds. He explained that his kids would be getting the best education here (in Spain) without him paying for it, so all this was worth it.

I put this question to my Spanish friends, “How will you feel, when these people bring their families over?” That is something that was not well received. “If they decide to bring their families then there would be a problem.” Nobody elucidated and I didn’t push either.

I have to admit that all the people I met in Spain, natives or otherwise, were really warm and happy. The air was definitely conducive to good behaviour. On my journey back, I met a lady, originally a Uruguayan, now living in the US, and talked to her about the presence of the Pakistani migrant workers. She did say one notable thing to me. “Pakistani migrant workers send a lot of money back home and that is good for the foreign exchange, but the South American migrants send money not only to their respective families, but also to the local Municipal Councils. Their contributions are then used for building parks, and for upgrading public service places.”

My Pakistani friends in Barcelona expressed their concerns about a couple of things. They were upset that the Pakistani Embassy has no permanent consular office in Barcelona. They have to wait for the consular to come to Barcelona or travel to Madrid to solve any problems or issues related to them. They want a permanent consular service in Barcelona, because the majority of Pakistani immigrants in Spain live there. I agree.

These people are helping our economy, there should be something Pakistan could do to make their life a little easier.

The second wish was that PIA should start direct flights from Barcelona to any city in Pakistan. These people have to pay 300 euros extra to fly to another city and then take PIA. They would like to see at least one or two PIA flights every week from Barcelona to back home.

This was my desi salsa in Barcelona, salsa with a hint of curry, and I loved it!

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)