Cops nail international motorist

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by George Maddux

Hamad Baig, a 21-year-old Concordia student who recently arrived from Pakistan, had been planning to pay for his schooling by delivering pizzas. So he spent $600 on a 1990 Dodge Shadow, registered it at the Quebec government license bureau and insured it with Bel-Air Direct. He drove down to Miami in the car, even getting a speeding ticket from a state trooper along the way.

But much to his surprise, local police impounded his vehicle Jan. 8 at 7:30 p.m. in front of Joliette metro station. His crime? The officer told him the international driver's license he obtained Aug. 4 in Islamabad, Pakistan, marked valid until September 2001, is only good for 90 days here and had already expired. Baig was slapped with a $404 fine for driving without a license, $200 for towing fees and has been told that he will have to pay $8-13 a day to park the car.

Baig is furious that in spite of numerous opportunities, government and insurance officials never informed him that his international driver's license would be considered expired here so soon. "It makes me feel totally alienated. It doesn't make me feel like I should have any confidence in living here." License bureau officials did not answer the Mirror's calls to comment on the case. Baig, who hopes to enter law school next fall, plans to explore his legal options.