( Note: Consul General Mr. Asim Ali was contacted on his whatsap number and asked for his stance but he did not respond in two days time )
ISLAMABAD : 07 Sep 2026 -Corruption in the shape of seeking bribes for issuance of genuine legal documents has become a “normal” in some Pakistani missions abroad, especially in the US and EU. Most of the Pakistanis living abroad are found complaining the same what happened to a renown Pakistani origin businessman Abid But at Consulate General office Los Angeles CA not once but twice, first on April 14 and latest on Aug 03, 2026.
Mr. Abid Butt has been living in the US for the last 4 decades and contributed a lot in serving his country as freelance ambassador as well as enhancing Pakistan US relations by hosting a number of activities, forums, festivals etc. His credentials can be well seen at his website www.abidbutt.com
He was asked for $300 extra than the official fee for his business documents despite fulfilling all requirements with related documents mentioned on the website of the consulate. Mr. Monis Ahmed , who introduced himself as protocol officer, had 03 other guys there. They all held a private conversation and finally Monis asked the extra money that Mr. Abid Butt had to pay because he needed the documents badly.
Abid did not complain about the matter at that stage only to avoid any awkward situation in the future. He is a businessman and he could not take the risk of annoying the staff at the embassy who otherwise create hurdles in the release of legal documents and exploit the citizens.
But he did not know that more hurdles are still looking for him. On 03 Aug a bigger demand of bribe was waiting for him when he again visited the CG office after getting an appointment with Mr. Monis Ali. Here Abid noted that the related counter person was Syed Hamid Ali who was having a “Private Conversation” at some “Isolated Area”. Monis sitting on the counter of Syed Hamid Ali asked Abid to wait and here he was kept waiting for 02 long hours.
Syed Hamid Ali asked for NADRA Card and Abid showed him the digital copy of the card that he used for his documents for the first time and that was accepted by Monis Ali. Here Syed Hamid Ali asked for a physical copy and demanded $1 Thousand if the copy was not provided.
Abid Butt was already fed up with demands of bribes and left the room and refused to pay the money.
Abid Butt has shared the details with Pakistani journalists and sought attention of DPM/ FM Ishaq Dar, Secretary Foreign Affairs Ms Amna Baloch, Minister Overseas Pakistanis Ch Salik Hussain, MD OPF, Federal Ombudsperson and DG ISPR to inquire the matter of bribry at CG of LA so that Pakistani citizens can be saved from the corrupt mafia.
