I have now been driving cars since 1969. It was not easy getting a driving licence in those days, yet I had succeeded (perhaps because I was only 25 at the time). I used it for many years before losing it five years ago. After that I used to drive without a licence as I had heard that the procedure was too cumbersome, first getting a learner's license and then appearing for tests (after 45 days). Then someone told me that getting a licence from a city other than Karachi was very easy, so I got a (genuine) licence made in Hub (Baluchistan), not far from Karachi and without appearing for any tests. That licence lasted three years, after which I found someone who could get me a licence from the Karachi licence issuing office without even going there. A year later, I was shocked to find that this licence was a fake one even though I had paid quite a good amount for it. I was told that eight out of ten drivers in the country have fake licences.
So finally I took the plunge and decided to get a genuine licence issued by the Karachi office. And it was really tough this time, trying to park a large car in a short space without hitting the barriers, but I did manage to do it. I think most people would fail the driving test, as well as the verbal one.
It was really impressive to see that no one wanted a bribe to certify that I was qualified to drive a car, all the policeman and police officers were courteous and there were computers everywhere. Pakistan has changed a lot.

0 comments