PAKISTAN

“I had to apply for a Singapore visa but I had never made my
travel documents before,” he shares. “I didn’t even have a
computer, internet or phone from which I could check email
or learn how to do things. So I used to take a one-hour bus
ride to go to an internet cafe, where I would print documents
and then go back one hour to get them signed. I used to
stand in government offices by myself as even my father or
mother couldn’t guide me. One day, I went to the police to get
a character certificate and they told me I was a terrorist
because I came from FATA. In the end, my visa application for
Singapore was rejected.”
“I didn’t even have a computer,
internet or phone from which I
could check email or learn how
to do things. So I used to take
a one-hour bus ride to go to an
internet cafe.”
Even the rejection of the visa didn’t deter Zafar. He went on to
get admission into a different UWC campus in Mostar, Bosnia
& Herzegovina and is currently studying in the International
Baccalaureate (BI) programme there. Despite the visa
problems and his late arrival at the campus, he has made up
for lost ground and his progress during the first year places
him well in comparison to the rest of his class. Zafar intends
to complete his IB in 2016 and hopes to pursue further
education abroad.
Zafar intends to complete his
IB in 2016 and hopes to pursue
further education abroad.
We asked Zafar what kept him going through all the
challenges that came his way. He didn’t have an older cousin,
parent or friend guiding him through the process or showing
him the light at the end of the tunnel. “Our dreams are still too
small,” he says. “What we imagine we can accomplish in life
is so small compared to what we’re actually capable of. I
worked hard to get educated so I can bring education to
FATA. I’m not saying I can change everything, but maybe, I
can guide at least one other person like me.”
This story has been condensed from an article that was published in Express Tribune
20 Years of Believing in Pakistan 15