While sharing his ordeal he told SBS Urdu that he came earlier to Australia on a student visa. He left for home country for his wedding when the coronavirus pandemic started.
He says that in the beginning, it was not bad as it was just limited to China and few other countries. He belongs to a village in Sargodha, a district of Punjab province in Pakistan.
Key Points
- Kashif Ali has his wedding planned on 20 March but on the other hand, his student visa was going to expire in the next couple of months
- Travel agents were unable to book a ticket amid border closure chaos
- He managed to get to Australia just an hour before the border closure
He had his marriage planned on 20 March and he was in the village preparing for his marriage.
"On 19 March I was in my village in Sargodha when I came to know that Australia has announced to close its border by the next day 9 pm."
He says that from the speech of the Australian PM Scott Morrison he came to know that the travel ban could be for six months. He has a student visa and it was due to expire in the next couple of months.
His closest airport was three hours away in Lahore and according to him, it was already 11 in the morning in Pakistan.
"I started to contact the travel agents known to me to book me a flight to Sydney but every one of them was saying that the system is busy and they can't help him to book a ticket," he added.
He says that the contacted his friends in Australia to book him a ticket online but all in vain.
"My friends suggested start driving towards the airport as it will take three hours to get to the closest airport. I started driving towards the airport without having a ticket," he told SBS Urdu.
Source: Getty Images/EschCollection
Meanwhile, on his way, he tried to book the ticket through various travel agents and friends but nothing was working. He says he got an idea to book a business class ticket.
"I thought maybe everybody is trying to purchase an economy class ticket and because of that, the system is down. I changed the plan and called my friends to book me a business class ticket," he said.
This worked and he got a ticket booked for three times the price of a normal ticket but still, he has a lot to come. He says that he reached just an hour before the departure time on the airport, left the car in the parking lot with the keys and ran towards the lounge.
A flight information board showing several cancelled flights, Sydney Domestic Airport, Friday, March 20, 2020. Source: AAP Image/James Gourley
After clearing immigration, he says, he called his parents and in-laws and explained what had happened saying he had to leave for Australia in a hurry.
"I departed for Dubai and even on Dubai airport the flights were getting cancelled but luckily my flight was on time. Only non-residents and non-citizens were allowed by the airline if the flight reaches before half past 8 in the evening," he explained.
Source: Supplied
He reached Australia on 20 March at 8 pm just an hour before the border closure.
He says that though it was a quick but right decision as he can get married next time he was not certain whether he would be given an extension in the visa or not.
While his fiancee commented that for better future of both I can wait for another six months or a year. I can understand that this time is a hard time but relationships are all about sacrifice.
