Pakani man describes experience at Mumbai airport: ‘People were apprehensive’ | Trending

Waqas Hassan, the Pakani entrepreneur who went viral on social media for travelling to Mumbai airport on an IndiGo flight, spoke to HT.com about his experience at the airport, how people reacted to his Pakani passport and more. Hassan, 35, also revealed that his short sojourn at Mumbai airport – thanks to a layover – was not his first visit to India. Pakani man Waqas Hassan travelled to Mumbai on an IndiGo flight (Also read: Pakani man travels to India on IndiGo flight, surprises Mumbai airport officials) In fact, the Pakani entrepreneur had travelled to India back in 2008 on a school trip, visiting famous cities like Delhi and Amritsar. The school trip occurred when Hassan was 18-years-old and had just received his passport. Consequently, the first visa stamped on his passport was an Indian visa. On first India visit“When I turned 18 years old in 2008, in January I got my passport. And in February, the first visa I got on my passport was actually an Indian visa for a school trip, where we crossed from Lahore to Amritsar via the border,” Hassan told HT.com. “We went all the way to Delhi, Gurgaon,” the Pakani man recalled. For Hassan, it was a week-long trip to India during which he visited many popular tour spots and interacted with Indian students. “I’ve been to the Red Fort. I’ve been to Chandni Chowk. I’ve been to Gurgaon and spent time at the Hare Krishna retreat centre,” he revealed. Hassan added a word of appreciation for the friends he made during his 2008 trip to India. He recalled that in those days, before social media, he and his friends signed currency notes for each other to keep as mementoes. On Mumbai airportEarlier this month, Hassan had a six-hour layover in Mumbai while travelling from Singapore to Saudi Arabia. He went crazy viral for an Instagram video explaining how he, a Pakani passport holder, managed to travel to India legally without a visa. In his video, Hassan said that Mumbai airport officials were also surprised to see a Pakani. He described his experience at the transit counter as “some good fun.” “These Mumbai officials said it doesn’t happen very often. But because it had happened, they had a lot of stories,” Hassan said. He also claimed that he requested the airport officials to let him step out of the airport and explore Mumbai for a few hours until he could fly on to Saudi Arabia. The officials, of course, declined politely. “I asked if I could go out to Mumbai. I have so many memories here. I just need to go to Bandra, and also see Shah Rukh Khan’s house. And I’ll come back” he said. “They said ‘I wish we could,’” Hassan claimed of the Mumbai airport officials, adding that they pointed him towards another counter. At this counter, Hassan again asked for permission to go out. However, he was told that only diplomatic passport holders are allowed this privilege. Other Pakanis must have an approved visa before they can step out of the airport. On the people at Mumbai airportEven so, Hassan was full of praise for the airport itself, barring a few less-than-stellar experiences. One, he claimed that the airport lounge did not meet his expectations. Another jarring thing he noticed was the reaction of Indians when they realised he was Pakani. The Pakani man faced WiFi issues at the airport and asked several people if they could share their internet hotspot. Most people refused. “I was stopping people to ask ‘Can you give me some hotspot? I want internet.’ And people did not. Nobody wants to talk to you,” he recalled. He said that people looked at him warily when he requested internet access. “They look at you like, you look Indian. But why don’t you have WiFi. So I have to tell them I’m Pakani and they are apprehensive.” Hassan called the attitude of the Indian people the “biggest shift” he had experienced between 2008 and 2025. However, he clarified that only the tours were wary of him, and airport officials – knowing he was in India legally – were nice.