PAKISTAN - TCS Courier

TCS Customer Newsletter
AGAINST ALL ODDS
M. Sohail found himself in the thick of things, playing hide
and seek with rioters on Karachi roads the day following
Benazir Bhutto’s assassination. As per routine he had
embarked on pickups from Guru Mandir, Orangi and Tariq
Road Express Centres. By dusk he arrived at Banaras
where several vehicles were on fire with a crowd of antisocial
elements looting innocent people and damaging
private property. Then suddenly came the deafening sound
of gun fire and a big sharp-edged rock hit M. Sohail’s right
hand which began bleeding. They fled through narrow
streets and finally reached Habib Bank Chowrangi where,
like all other places, angry mobs were on the rampage. A
police van with armed guards appeared to M. Sohail’s relief,
and zigzagging through the side lanes they finally reached
Golimar. Gulshan Hub was totally under control of the
rioters who were damaging, destroying and setting on fire
private and government property. The pain in his injured
hand had unbearably increased and required immediate
bandaging. After what seemed
an eternity they finally reached
the Gulshan Hub and M. Sohail
got down from the van and rushed
towards the hub holding the bags
of material that he had collected.
He then gathered the staff and
escorted them to the van. A battle
had finally been won and he was
happy to have delivered the
goods. However, it was a
nightmare that is likely to haunt
him all his life.
NEVER ON A SUNDAY!
Manzoor Abro reports on how his plans for a restful Sunday
with the family got turned upside down when he decided to
drop in at the office very briefly to check up on a pending
matter. Just his luck that a very agitated customer from
Islamabad was on the phone with the officer on duty, insisting
on speaking with the top management. For a moment there
Manzoor Abro was tempted to duck the issue and carry on
with his weekend picnic plans. But like always the family
had to take a back seat, and he
volunteered to help resolve the
problem, a very knotty problem
that involved a passport and airline
ticket that was two days behind
scheduled delivery. It took the rest
of the Sunday and persistent
follow-up to trace the missing
documents, and it was close to
nightfall when they were finally
delivered and the customer’s
agitation turned into gratitude.
M. Sohail
Manzoor Abro
CASE OF THE TWO SHAHJEES
Siraj and Tariq Khan got into a most unusual tangle with
two consignees by the same name of Syed Munawwar Ali
Shah, both collectors of antiques, and both expecting a
shipment from their dealer! Talk about co-incidents, and this
absolutely had to be the mother of all co-incidents! Weighing
8.5 kgs., the consignment was received at Mardan from
Lahore with insufficient address. A Mr. Humayoon arrived
posing as the consignee's driver and insisted on receiving
the shipment. On production of his CNIC the consignment
was handed over to him. The next day Syed Munawwar Ali
Shah turned up to collect his shipment! The consignee was
flabbergasted and said he had no driver by the name of
Humayoon. The declaration made by the consignee threw
Siraj and Tariq into a quandary and they stood there
dumbfounded. The consignee hit the roof, and said the
shipment contained a 300-year old valuable piece of antique,
originally from Indonesia, that had cost him some 15 lakhs
of rupees, and threatened to sue the Company for damages.
Working through NADRA Humayoon’s address and
photograph were obtained, some
20 miles off Mardan City in a
village known as Jamal Garhi but
the man had shifted from that
location. Inquiries from the area
Nazim bore fruit, and Humayoon
was traced to a village called
Mirchkokali. It was late at night
when Siraj and Tariq arrived there,
and after some reassuring
Humayoon came to the door and
accepted that he had indeed
taken the consignment and given
it to his boss Syed Munawwar Ali
Shah, who in turn upon being
contacted on the phone accepted
having received the consignment
and admitted that it was an error,
a rare one at that, since he too
was expecting a similar
consignment! The actual
consignee Syed Munawwar Ali
Shah was delighted to say the
least upon receiving his antique,
and profusely thanked and
congratulated TCS for promptly
tracing the consignment.
Siraj
Tariq Khan
10 2009, Vol: 8 / Issue: 1