TRAVELLING on Pakistani passport feels like an insult. This is not because Pakistan is a developing country, or someone has designated Pakistan as a ‘terrorist state’. It is because of the reputation that we, the people, have developed over the years. We are in for lots of questions and embarrassment. Even though I am a frequent traveller to countries like Turkiye and Saudi Arabia, I still have to go through the rigour quite often.

A recent trip to Malaysia and Thailand shocked me no end, especially Malaysia. I was on a winter trip to Kuala Lumpur when an immigration official asked me to show him the return tickets. He checked all my hotel bookings, and even jotted down notes on my passport about the date of departure.

This was despite the fact that the visa was valid for 30 days. It was clearly an embarrassing situation as Kuala Lumpur is a world-class tourist destin-ation, and other passengers around me in the queue were a bit amused at what was happening in my case.

There were scores of Indians there who did not need to show any such document, not even return tickets. That ignominy was reserved for Pakistanis, Muslims from Myanmar, and those from certain poor African states.

I am now thinking about migrating or at least having a foreign passport for myself and my family to avoid such future embarrassments in countries which were once actually dependent on Pakistani expertise and labour. That was when the Pakistani passport was nothing to be ashamed of (the accompanying image shows the country’s passport after independence in 1947). I have to get this done quick because the trend is not going to go away anytime soon.

In the meantime, the government might consider issuing a different passport to the taxpayers. Maybe that would bring in some relief to those who have to face embarrassment because of those few who have contributed to the current reputation of Pakistanis abroad.

Ameer Hamza Adhia
Karachi

Published in Dawn, February 23rd, 2025