THIS is with reference to the editorial ‘Reprimanding envoys’ (May 7) which I found to be biased, as it opted to take cue from different quarters related to the foreign ministry. We, as citizens, know well how our embassies and high commissions treat Pakistani expatriates who are contributing to this country for the last over 70 years. Whenever these expatriates received an SOS call from the government, ignoring the financial impact, they sent money to bolster the national economy.

For the last 30 years, my friend living in New York has been sending me feedback about the way ambassadors and their staff treat Pakistanis there.

We know people living in New York are mostly educated, so we can imagine the plight of our less educated workforce serving in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries. Imagine how much they must have been suffering at the hands of these brown babus. Humiliation is a small word.

We have often heard from acquaintances who visited Pakistan that staff at counters in our embassy or consulate could not even speak proper English. Foreign postings were not made on merit and this has been going on for the last several decades. Political workers were accommodated and foreign postings were made according to their choices.

During his address, the prime minister reprimanded only the delinquent staff posted abroad. Why did former staff members of the Foreign Office immediately take to social media to vent their displeasure when complaints against embassies and people’s grievances were genuine?

When the ongoing fact-finding inquiry will be completed and made public, these critics will have a lot to regret about.

Asif Ali Khan

Karachi

Published in Dawn, May 18th, 2021