I think the time has come to admit defeat. I phoned 3 different TAs, visited 2, and phoned BA in New York and Islamabad (Karachi has closed its office) without success. I would normally not waste so much effort but this is $2k+ cheaper than anything else I can find on the same route.

I decided against using the AMEX site especially since no live person could even figure it out. If anyone knows any uber-competent TAs that would be great

Cheers,

ps thanks Bukhara and others for all your help! ^