The small room was packed of files. There were two or may be three telephone sets. On one side there was plastic tray and “IN” was written on it and there was another tray on the cupboard and on that it was written “OUT”. Jamil and Arshad were searching the room with their eyes like special police check suspicious things. Both of them were quite frank friends but in lawyer’s room they were quite like someone stopped the kids not to say anything when they are at some funeral because kids don’t realise the delicacy of the situation or place.
They were drowned in their thoughts; somebody twisted the handle of the door and entered in the room. The gentleman was wearing camel colour double breast suit and matching tie. He was handsome man but there were no moustaches on his face this was the only thing which was lacking in his personality. This was Jamil and Arshad’s personal opinion. As this gentleman, I mean Bhatti sahib sat on the chair, Jamil started his story,
“Bhatti sahib he is my best friend and he left Pakistan because of financial crises. Now he wants to apply for political asylum”.
Bhatti sahib asked him some questions and got impressed of his education and qualifications which he had and gave them Thursday’s time. Both friends, Jamil and Arshad came down through stairs. While they were walking in the street they were knitting their dreams. Finally they took their way to home.
.........................
On Thursday Arshad came to Bhatti sahib’s office on his own. He gave him relevant documents which were necessary for political asylum. Bhatti sahib checked everything, home address, one electricity bill which was to check the gentleman who gave him his address, either his is the resident of this address or not. Then he took his citation, what happened with him, which was in frangi’s language English. In the mean Bhatti sahib called his secretary who was on the brink of dying beauty, like she was enjoying her last moments of beauty. She was murmuring in Hindi, Urdu and English like this it became some kind of Creole or Pidgin language. As she entered inside, she said, there was train strike, so she borrowed someone’s car to come to the office. Bhatti sahib told her about his new client and told her that he is an educated man, due to economic problems, he left Pakistan and he wants to apply for political asylum, and he is even unable to pay our fee. So take his sign on green form (green form is such a form if you sign it than your legal charges will b covered by British government, after signing this form you can have a lawyer and who ever accompanied you up to home office, state will pay the train ticket and all the allowances. British government pay every single penny to lawyer).
Like this you can solve his economic problem”. The way that lady entered in the office, she took Arshad with her and left the office again in a same way. She checked all the papers, which Arshad had; she took his sign on green form and on their law associate’s form as well.
In the mean time a fat guy entered in the room and he was speaking English in way that someone is chewing the words. Or maybe this was his style. His dress matching was weird, that weird that, it’s nearly unexplainable in words. He was wearing a check shirt and an old fashioned tie. He tightened his belt on his belly in a way that someone tried to hold an elephant with this belt. Due to this tight belt, his belly was divided into two parts; it seemed like that that he has two bellies. While he was doing conversation with that lady, it seemed like that he has to solve the whole London’s problems and you can’t find even a single person all around London who is more trustable and responsible than him. He started photocopying the important documents of Arshad and while he was doing this he was talking with that lady as well. Arshad was searching the room with his eyes like an expert detective. There was a cupboard, which had twenty or thirty books which were all same but the difference was only the year written on them. Some books were on literature as well. One was on Picasso, some books of Shakespeare and few novels of Jane Austin. On one side there was photocopier and few chairs and one telephone set.
All of a sudden that lady’s mobile phone started ringing. That lady started chatting on the phone. This all period Arshad passed in curiously and inquisitively. She was chatting with some in her beautiful voice like someone is playing some melodious musical instrument. When she finished her conversation on mobile phone; she dialled some number on the telephone which was on her table. People were coming in and out and that lady was fixing appointments of her clients for Home Office of The United Kingdom of Great Britain. She finally found someone for Arshad and the lady who accepted to go with Arshad to Home Office on Friday at one “O” clock, her name was Mah-Laqa. She fixed the appointment at law associates address and said Khuda Hafiz.
...........................
Arshad was waiting outside the Bhatti law associates at quarter past one. As he entered in the office he saw a skinny girl who was speaking Urdu in way that when you do transliteration and write them, when you speak them they will be English words but there meanings you understand in Urdu. Like this that skinny girl was talking in verbal transliteration. Like she was saying “karain gay”, she was saying “kareen gay”. She was speaking Urdu but phonetically it was like English. Anyway, that lady, whose name was Mah-Laqa, she glanced at Arshad’s body from head to toe and made her face like she ate some sour almond. While they were coming down from the stairs of law associates, she started explaining him that what will happen in Home Office. During their travel that lady treated Arshad that some Brahman had to accompany some Achut (untouchable) due to some severe emergency. At last they arrived at Croydon. They came out from the tube station, after walking through some different zigzag roads and streets they arrived in front of a building. They entered in the building. That lady was acquainted with every worker of this building which is called Home Office. In the mean time that lady met with an English man. She started talking with that gentleman and Arshad felt inferiority complex. In a blink of eye a thought came in his mind that this white skin man defeated the brown skin man once again. Anyway thrice of them arrived on second floor. They stood in the line and started waiting for their turn. Than that lady sat on a chair which was close to the queue. Arshad was waiting for his turn and he was upset as well, so that lady felt Arshad’s disturbance and came closer to him and said in strange Urdu accent, “jab tumharhi bari aaye gi to main pass a jaon gi” when your turn will come, I will join you.
Arshad was in front of concerned person. That lady came as well. She started telling that gora (white man) Arshad’s case’s delicacy. And Arshad started telling that English man his story in typical Pakistani English and with specific accent but that English man didn’t get what he was saying so that lady helped him and explained everything. That’s what she came for and she was supposed to be getting money for interpretation. The counter clerk heard everything and he wrote it as well and then he said, “Soon we will call you, wait for your turn, they will take your finger prints”.
Arshad started waiting for his turn. There was an electronic sign board or you can say that electronic display machine, which was showing number on it. Arshad was in his deep thoughts and that lady again started talking with that white guy who met them in the beginning. Finally he came out of his thoughts, his turn came.
First of all they said him to wash his hands than they took the prints of his all fingers and thumbs as well. Then he was being asked by them to wash his hands again. Arshad thought that they will take his fingers’ prints again but they said the finger print stage has been passed; now you are free. Then they have given him blue colour token. Some people had pink token, they were here to collect their passport or travel document and the people who had blue token they were here to submit their cases. There were different counters and they were calling people one by one. The same electronic display machine was here as well. Arshad was looking around habitually and his turn came. As Arshad saw his token number, he stood up and that lady realises as well and she accompanied him up to the counter where they had to go. Arshad gave all documents, relevant documents and photos as well to counter clerk. He kept everything and gave a piece of paper to Arshad which had his interview date and time as well. The interview was after three days. That lady, English gentleman and Arshad took their way to home so thrice of them started walking swiftly towards tube station. As they stepped in the train, that lady and English man started chatting in their typical Urdu accent which is quite common in British born Pakistani people. For whom Arshad was thinking that he is English, he was like one of them and Asian blood was flowing in his veins as well.
When their train arrived at Black Friar railway station that lady said, good bye to Arshad and specified him once again about the Home Office’s appointment, date and time. She told him that she will meet him there, outside the Home Office and told him to inform Bhatti law associates as well about this. Then she took her way towards her home with that Asian gora. Arshad was walking, he was drown in his thoughts and he disappeared somewhere in the people.
.........................
The first thing Arshad did was he came to Bhatti law associates. He took all the information about Home Office and took his way to Home Office. When he arrived there, he found that that lady, Mah-Laqa hasn’t arrived yet. He was standing on second floor carrying his all documents. He was singing in a very slow voice, “Killing me softly” (song by Fugees), his voice was that low that it was nearly impossible for anyone to hear him. Although he knew few lines and rest of the song he never understood and his voice wasn’t that good. The lady who had to registered his application, she heard what he was singing; she started singing with Arshad as well. She found what Arshad was singing through lips reading. Maybe that lady liked this song very much. She started telling Arshad that song was originally sung by Roberta Flac and now a new group Fugees sang it again. They have given this song a new life but I think Roberta Flac sang this song better than Fugees.
That lady sent him on third floor. When Arshad arrived there, he was being told to go in a room. Arshad entered in the room, went to the desk, where a lady was sitting and told her his name and address than he showed her all documents which he had. That lady told him to stay here and wait for your turn. She asked him about solicitor and interpreter. Arshad got confused and respond her perplexedly. Then he came towards chairs which were made of plastic and sat there. He was waiting for his turn and for his solicitor as well. While he was sitting in the hall, habitually he was searching everything with his eyes. There was one place where Arshad was sitting and around this big hall there were many small cabins. The cabins were made in such manners that it was very easy to see through them. He was watching, what was going on in these small cabins and who were sitting in them. Arshad quit searching because his interpreter or you can say solicitor came. As she came, I mean Mah-Laqa; she started briefing him about things. She begged him pardon of coming late as well. She said, “I am sorry, I am late”.
Arshad name was being called and a very fare and white complexioned girl came and asked him to come with her. That lady was carrying some Islamic name plate on her chest. He didn’t know she was from which country.
Now in one of those small cabins, Arshad, his lawyer, interpreter and an immigration officer was sitting. It means there were three women in the cabin and only one man. That white and fare complexioned lady started asking him questions. She asked him thirty three questions. That interpreter was translating the phrases from English to Urdu like you drop money in Cadbury chocolate machine and you get chocolate instead. From that interpreter’s mouth, the words of Urdu and Punjabi were coming out like someone is printing on printing machine without errors. Arshad was inventing and fabricating answers of her questions and his all answer were based upon lie. They had nothing to do with reality.
Arshad was doing very well because of his knowledge and wisdom than that lady asked him questions about those thirty three questions. The interview was completed and Arshad and interpreter left the room than she took him to another place. As Arshad was unaware of this building’s tangled structure so he didn’t know where she was taking him and where they were walking in these confused corridors. Now when they arrived, at this place there was an English person and an interpreter was there as well. The interpreter who came with him, she wasn’t allowed to go inside so when he entered in the room, they locked the room. They took his audio interview, which was recorded. After this it was played for Arshad to hear what he said. He heard everything than that cassette was taken off from the tape recorder and it was being attached with Arshad’s file. They have given a brown envelope which has details about his finger prints, photos and explanation about his political asylum application. It was written how long he can stay in England; everything depends upon his case’s situation. The most shocking thing for him was that there were few lines written on the top of paper that he wasn’t allowed to work for six months. Arshad did all this process to have permission of work, he thought after applying for political asylum, he well get insurance number and he will find some decent job or he will be eligible for social security and they didn’t allow him to claim social benefit as well.
........................
No comments:
Post a Comment