THIS is to draw the attention of Pakistan government towards the plight of oversees Pakistanis.

I have been in the US since the early 1990s and hold dual Pakistan-US citizenship.

I had applied for National Identity Card for Pakistanis (NICOP) in early 2007 which I never received. However, I can see an online version of it.

After over a decade I decided to visit my homeland and inquired about the original NICOP which allows one to enter the country without a passport.

Despite several phone calls to the Pakistani consulate in Los Angles, I have never been able to get hold of a live person.

I was lucky enough to leave a message once since most of the time the mail box remains full.

Emails to the same, as well as to Nadra and the embassy of Pakistan in Washington D.C., have remained unanswered.

And I am wondering can something straightforward ever be done via the Pakistan government without having to resort to ‘uncomfortable means’ for a law-abiding citizen?

NAZIA JUNEJO United States