I AM a Pakistani settled in the UAE for the past four years. Getting work done in my country has become a nuisance for me and all other Pakistanis like me who are settled aboard.

It all started with my educational credentials’ photocopies attestation by the Higher Education Commission. (HEc), My application has been under process since Jan 19 but there is no update on this.

After numerous calls and emails to the Higher Education Commission (HEC), their reply is: “We cannot give any time, and an initial scrutiny might take up to two to three weeks”.

The funniest part is that my degrees are already attested by the HEC.

My previous bank has refused to give me my bank statement because I now reside in the UAE. The bank requires my source of income in the form of an official letter from my employer in the UAE, my UAE’s bank statements and copies of my visa.

The bank has even refused to stamp statements issued electronically to me citing: “For overseas Pakistanis, no stamping is allowed”.

The Muslim Commercial Bank did activate my account from dormancy provided that I pay Rs500 statement charges (since I have NICOP-NIC for overseas Pakistanis), which I was always told that bank statements are free.

My simple question is: If I have moved out of Pakistan, will I be treated differently in spite of the fact that I am still a Pakistani national? Why do degrees already attested need to be re-attested for evaluation to get photocopies attested? Why will my employer issue a letter for a bank in Pakistan to get my previous statement and why does the bank require my complete income from my UAE bank for the past four years?

I came to Pakistan specially for this purpose. Unfortunately, after spending a month, I still have to go back without my work getting done. At home procedures for overseas Pakistanis are beyond my comprehension. May I know what is going on in my dear Pakistan?

A Concerned Citizen
(Name withheld on request)
Karachi

Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2018