THE FUTURE PAKISTAN (Sent by Taha Tungekar)

This would become reality in 2007 subject to the condition that we have a new president

Year: 2007

Two Top American Executives at IBM, USA
Alex: Hi John. You didn't come to work yesterday
John: Yeah. I was at the Pakistani Embassy trying to get my visa.
Alex: Oh, really? What happened? I've heard that these days they have become very strict.
John: Yeah, but I managed to get it.
Alex: How long did it take to get it stamped?
John: Man, it was a long queue. Bill Gates was waiting in front of me and they really gave him a hard time. The poor guy even brought the property papers for his house in Seattle to show them that he will return to USA. I went there at 4:00 a.m. to get in the queue and there were tons of people ahead of me.
Alex: Really? In Pakistan, at the US Embassy it only takes an hour to get a visa for USA.
John: Yeah! But that's because no one in Pakistan would want to come to USA, except Americans who have taken Pakistani nationality and want to bring their kids here.
Alex: So, when are you leaving?
John: As soon as I get my tickets from the company in Pakistan. I'm &nb sp;so excited. I will be getting a chance to finally fly with the world's fastest growing airline, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). Sort of dream come true, you know.
Alex: How long are you planning to stay in Pakistan?
John: What do you mean "how long"? I will try and settle in Pakistan. My company has promised me that they will process my Green Book as soon as possible.
Alex: Really? Man, you're a lucky one. It's very difficult to get the Green Book in Pakistan. Last year my cousin and his family went there on a tourist visa and they're not coming back now.
John: Yeah. That's why I'm planning on marrying a Pakistani girl there and then sponsoring my parents and my brother and sister from New York to Pakistan.
Alex: But I hear you can find lots of good American girls in Karachi &nbs p;and Lahore.
John: Yeah, but I prefer Pakistani girls. They are so much more superior to our girls, and what great brunette complexion they have!
Alex: What city are you going to?
John: Karachi. The company has an office in downtown Saddar. Yeah, the salary is good but the cost of living is quite high because of all the people flocking to this high-tech Mecca.
Alex: I hear the exchange rate is now $100 to a Rupee! That's just too much. What about Quetta and Peshawar? What are they like?
John: No idea. But they are cheaper than Karachi, which is the world's headquarters for information technology now.
Alex: I hear the quality of life in Pakistan is incredible.
John: Yeah, man. You can buy a BMW for Rs.30,000, and a Mercedes for less than Rs.45,000. But my dream is to p urch ase a Suzuki Turbo FX-800 which costs roughly Rs.90,000. But what a sweet design, great curves, and it purrs to the touch.
Alex: By the way, which company are you gonna work for?
John: Haji Jalal Puttarjee & Bros. Technologies, a pure Pakistani conglomerate specializing in embedded software.
Alex: Man, you're so lucky to work for a pure Pakistani company. They are really intelligent and unlike any American body shops that have opened their fly-by-night outfits in Pakistan. The Pakistani companies pay you even when you're on the bench. My friend, Paul Allen, used his bench time to visit the Makran Coast, the most gorgeous resort in Pakistan, I hear.
John: Yeah, man, you're right. I hope the US learns something from them and follows in their footsteps. It seems all we do is borrow more and more money f rom the Askari Bank.
Alex: How are you going to cope with their language?
John: I've been learning Urdu since my school days. I always dreamed that one day I'll head for Pakistan ever since my uncle bought me that T-Shirt from Islamia College. At the Consulate they tested my proficiency in Urdu and were quite impressed by my score in TOUFL (Test of Urdu as a Foreign Language).
Alex: Boy! You're so damn lucky.
John: Yeah. I'll be travelling in the world's fastest train, Tezgam, I'll be visiting the world's largest theme park in Changa Manga, and I'll be visiting the famous Lollywood where I might meet the sons and daughters of movie legends like Nadeem, Sultan Rahi, Anjuman, Reema and the gorgeous of all, Madam Babra Sharif.
Alex: You know, the Pakistani President is scheduled to visi t USA next year and I hear that he may increase the number of employment visas.
John: That's very true. Last month, their Labour Minister, Naswar Khan Pakhtoon, visited the White House and donated Rs.20,000 for the re-development of the World Trade Centre at Silicon Valley, and has promised more if we follow the models of the fast developing high-tech cities, Gujranwalla and Raiwind. Bill Gates was lucky to have a chance to meet him. Very lucky person.
Alex: Will you be calling on Dave? I hear that he has made it big there and has a beautiful house on the Lyari River in Karachi.
John: Yeah, I'll be meeting him.
Alex: Anyway, nice chatting to you, John. Good luck, you lucky guy.
John: Yeah, and the same to you, Alex. By the way, don't ever go to the Pakistani Consulate in shalwar-kameez because t hey will think you're too Pakistanised and may doubt that you will ever come back, and your application will be rejected. And yes, don't forget to say to the Visa Officer politely: "As'salam-o-Alaikum, aap kaisay hain?" It will show them you're a cultured person