WHERE should the old citizens go when their fingerprints have waned off and their identity cannot be established through biometric verification? Should they just call it a day or hit the bucket?

As a senior citizen, I was just wondering why such step-motherly treatment is meted out to the elderly in this part of the world when they need care, empathy and attention like never before. Why are they marginalised when it comes to extending facilities and comfort?

My recent experiences, especially when it comes to biometric verification, have been disastrous. The first such encounter I faced was when I wanted to dispose of some assets. As such, the registrar refused to entertain my request on my first appearance, taking the plea that my biometrics could not be verified as per requirement. I had to visit the office of the National Database Regis- tration Authority (Nadra) to have the matter resolved.

A while ago, I had to undergo another situation when an international courier service refused to book a parcel for an overseas destination when my biometric verification could not be done. I had to withdraw my name, and have my wife replace me as the consignor fpr the purpose.

Next, when I wanted to electronically transfer funds online, I could not make it through because I could not get my verification done through biometrics. Lastly, while getting a cheque cashed at the bank counter, I faced a similar situation, and the payment of the cheque was refused outright.

The frequent experiences remind me of the theory of natural selection, according to which, a selection process occurs as a result of an organism’s ability to “adapt to its surroundings”. In Pakistan, we seem to believe in the theory of artificial selection, which mentions “a selective breeding that is imposed by an external entity, usually humans, in order to enhance the frequency of desirable features”.

It is for the weak to take a cue that they have to fend for themselves to survive in this very competitive environment. Could the people at the helm of affairs bother to come to the rescue of the old by way of giving exemptions or amending the modalities when the elderly as well as the weak are confronted with such situations so as to make their life easy on the last leg of their sojourn on Earth?

Muhammad K. Sufi
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2024