A FEDERAL minister has emphasised, and rightly so, the need to curb the agent mafia active in the country. While the minister was talking in the context of its role in human trafficking, the fact is that this agent mafia is functional in almost all domains of public life, especially when it involves interaction between people and any government office.
From excise and taxation to passportand domicile offices, everyone finds agents minting money from innocent people in collusion with the staff deputed to facilitate the public. Last month, I visited a deputy commissioner office in Karachi to acquire a domicile for a relative. The process was made extremely cumbersome by the official concerned due to a mistake committed by the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) regarding the district mentioned on the CNICs of the family members of my relative. They were residents of Karachi West, but the CNICs mentioned Malir even though the address was correct. Other documents, such as utility bills, property documents, etc., had no such mistake, but that could not convince the staff. The counter clerk simply refused to accept the domicile application.
Having no option, we hired the services of an agent as the domicile was required rather urgently. The same clerk, who had previously refused to accept the application, cleared the case on the same CNICs when it was processed through the ‘agent’. Relevant authorities should urgently look into this.
Khawaja Tajammul Hussain Karachi