Each time I'm ashamed in my country but not they

Officially I am born on 15^th December, 1943 though in fact I was born on 3^rd February, 1943 but in both cases I certainly fall under the category of a senior citizen who internationally speaking are given preference over the juniors. I am proud to pen that in my beloved country Pakistan, senior citizens are duly recognized right at the time when one lands at the soil of the country and airport has a special counter reserved for them which regretfully is not so in Kuwaiti where I am living as back as 1978.

Thursday 28^th December 2011, I landed at Lahore International Airport and quite naturally proceeded straight to immigration counters and I was surprised as before too to see that hardly there was anyone a senior citizen like me but yet many were queued up at the counter which was reserved for senior citizens, families and unaccompanied ladies etc. I was at the end of the long queue and asked the gentleman ahead of me who was clad in a suit and looked like to be more educated than me as to how could he queue up here at this counter where juniors are excluded but he neither he listened to me nor even had a courtesy to at least accommodate me ahead of him. I thought it worthless to talk to him anymore on the topic since he looked to be looked to be quite adamant and not going to bulge even an inch. What a shock I got from my own suitably educated compatriot. I picked up some courage to go ahead of everyone and spoke to the person who was number two in the row and explained to him that I being a senior citizen am head of him but he was too arrogant to say that he is standing here for quite some time so how could he prefer me over himself.  In the meantime his turn came and he had the guts to place his passport at the counter but since the immigration officer has heard my arguments, he asked the person to step backward and asked me to give my passport. I was very happy to be honored as a senior citizen.

While I was waiting for my suitcase, the gentleman who was pushed back by the immigration officer came to the conveyor belt to collect his luggage like me and stared at me and said how much did you benefit to get me pushed back when you are yet to collect wait for arrival of your suitcase. I very politely said to the gentleman that I did not go against you rather, on the contra, asked for the rights conferred upon me as a senior citizen so there is no personal enmity between us. He did not argue anymore with me on the topic but his facial expression could tell me how did he feel from inside.

On my return on Friday 6^th January, 2011 simply because of the bitter experience at the arrival, I did not feel comfortable to talk to anyone who had already queued up and instead went straight to the immigration officer and told him that I am senior citizen and he was too kind to ask for my passport and I was free in just a minute or two.

What pains me the most is that not only my compatriots do not behave in the civilized manner but on the top of it they do not realize their mistakes even if pointed out?

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With my honest and solemn prayers