RECENTLY I visited the Nadra office in North Nazimabad about the renewal of my mother’s identity card. As I, along with my mother, entered through the gates, a sense of claustrophobia overcame me as I saw the whole place was jampacked with people, even though it was only 9am.

There were six counters in all, of which four were those in charge of ID cards. Three counters -- one for ladies, one for gents, and one for ‘fast track’ -- were all being run by the same man. The queues for all three were unbelievably long and the service was extremely slow.

Naturally, what can you expect if you have just one person dealing with all three counters!

As the line advanced, I noticed the person dealing with the counters was loud and extremely rude, especially towards women. When it was finally our turn, my mother and I were ushered into the office for photographs and other formalities. I thought it was wrong that there was only one male photographer present who was supposed to take pictures of both genders. I felt it was morally wrong that there were no female photographers as there were quite a few women who covered their faces and were forced to unveil in front of a ‘non-mehram’.

I also witnessed a female worker behind the desk, speaking in a loud, unruly tone to a lady who didn’t hear her call out her name amid the hustle and bustle. People in charge of public dealings should be trained to be patient while dealing with them, as it is part of their job to maintain a pleasant demeanour at all times.

In the end, the officer concerned requested us to get a photocopy of my mother’s old ID card, as they didn’t have any photocopying facility themselves. So we had to leave the premises and go to a stationery shop to get the job done. On returning, we had to get into the queue once again so as to submit the forms. There is no rule that says that an office cannot have its own photocopying facility.

I think the authorities concerned should take a step towards making things easier for the public, so that a sense of well-being and patriotism grows in the minds of the public, making them love their country.

SANIYA SHAHZAD Karachi