Tazeen Akhtar
Ambassador of Italy Mr. Andreas Ferrarese has assured the members of Pakistan Federation Italy that the issue of delays in legalization, appointment and other matters of Pakistanis will be solved as soon as the new building of the Embassy in Islamabad Diplomatic Enclave is completed. He said this to the delegation of the federation that called on him at the Embassy on 22 May 2023. The members of delegation have traveled from Italy to Pakistan only to sort the matter out that why the Embassy is not dealing with the legalization, appointment, attestation issues of Pakistanis living in Italy in due course of time and process?
The president of Pak Federation Italy Mr. Asif Raza is leading the delegation. The other members of the delegation are representatives of the Pakistani community living in Italy are Chaudhry Amjad Hussain Rolia, Chaudhry Faisal Bashir Sahi, Mahmood Sharif, Chaudhry Nisar Ahmad Rolia, Ali Ahmed Barkati, Chaudhry Shahzad Sahi of Bagrianwala, Chaudhry Muhammad Ilyas of Chauharpur. , Chaudhry Muhammad Buta of Musa Kamala, Chaudhry Jamshed Ahmed Cheema, Muhammad Usman, Senior Journalist Raja Ali.
The members of Pak Federation Italy held a protest in front of Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rome two weeks ago only to express their problems created by the unusual delays in addressing their issues at Italy Embassy in Islamabad. The ministry officials assured them to see into the matter in detail and fix the responsibility. The officials directed the Ambassador in Islamabad to discuss the issue with the Pakistani community leaders. The delegation traveled to Pakistan on their own expenditures to meet the Ambassador.
The Pakistan diaspora in Italy have reacted to this assurance as if it is just another delaying tactic. The diaspora commented on a report about the meeting. Most of them said, ” There is a mafia that will not allow the things to settle. That mafia should be eliminated from the whole process of the dealings from the Gerrys to Embassy.
The Embassy expresses other reasons like the construction of new building and presently having less space for overload of work. The Ambassador took the delegation members to the site of the new embassy and briefed them about the construction. He assured the delegation that their problem will be solved when new building is completed. Ambassador said that the counters’ number will exceed from presently to 6 to 16 in new building. We will be able to fix 200 appointments or interviews everyday. 
The delegation shared the grievances of the Pakistanis living in Italy. The community leaders apprised the Ambassador that Pakistanis are contributing a lot in different sectors in Italy. They are highly disturbed for minor things that are kept pending at the Embassy.
Pakistanis in Italy have their own rationale that the hurdle is not less staff or short space in the Embassy. It is something else that should be probed and fixed once for all. Community leaders term this something else as just hearsay but at the same time acknowledge that the disturbance of Pakistanis is unduly and the cases pending for no solid reason are thousands. The leaders ignore the point that for the same reason they are in Pakistan to sort it out with Ambassador.
Here it is worth mentioning that , the Embassy is not responding to the press in any case for any query. A silent mode is continuously on at the embassy. The concerned staff is more critical than cooperative to the press that complicates the things more and more.
Presently more than 180 thousand Pakistanis are living in Italy. Community leaders say that thousands of appointments are pending at Italy Embassy Islamabad. They have problems in appointments for family, work, student visas. Community leaders (Federation of Pakistani Association Italia). The Federation states that Pakistanis in Italy are unduly disturbed by the current visa and document legalization process in the Islamabad Embassy.
Pakistani Community Protests in Rome on Delays in Genuine Cases @ Italy Embassy Islamabad
