Cha gaye hain badalon kay saaye
Rung ankhon main hain aa samaaye
Daikh kay yeh aasman
Sochta hoon main yahan
Tum ho kahan main kahan

Karachi Rocks

They are shutting it down. That means, the traffic coming from Sindhi-Muslim roundabout cannot make a right turn on Shahrah-e-Faisal. And traffic on Shahrah-e-Faisal coming from Nursery cannot make a right turn at Sindhi-Muslim.

I think there can’t be a better solution to the traffic congestion in that area, considering the fact that a flyover/underpass is not feasible. People who want to go to Sindhi-Muslim area can always take Shahrah-e-Qaideen now that there is a flyover to accomodate the traffic load.

KARACHI – July 24, 2005: MOUNTED police warn picnickers against going into the sea along the Clifton beach on Sunday. Eight people drowned off the Sandspit on Saturday morning.óDawn

This is completely baffling. Why do people insist on going to the beach despite repeated warnings by the Edhi Foundation and the local government that it is unsafe because of high tides? Even more surprisingly, its not just people who don’t have access to newspapers or local television – its pretty much everyone! When will people learn?

A very important query here: which dhaba makes the best chai? I am dying to have some karak chai in sooty mugs, sitting on the edge of a busy road.

I seem to have wandered into the Twilight Zone. It’s been three days since the last time the electricity was turned off at an absurd hour due to loadshedding. It’s also been three days since my neighbourhood has had to order up one of those water tankers because we’ve had plentiful running water at any time of the day or night. I feel like an unwitting death row inmate being fed a hearty last supper now and frankly, it’s a little unnerving. What happened to all the inconvenience, discomfort and general dissatisfaction that comes with living in Karachi?

PS: If anyone from the KESC or DHA is reading this, well done!

I just went to KFC for a quick bite in my lunch hour. One of the chairs at the table next to where I was sitting had an abandoned black laptop case on it, which probably belonged to either the branch manager or a patron who must’ve changed tables. Of course, I could only think of fleeting images of bombed out restaurants and screaming people. With every bite of the french fry I was eating, I could hear an invisible time bomb ticking. I couldn’t wait to get out of the place. Why don’t restaurant managers realize how dangerous unattended bags can be? I know I’m overreacting. But it just made me realize what a horribly unsure world we live in.

Last night my father was in an electronics shop in Bahadurabad when it was robbed. The armed robbers took his cell phone and other valuable stuff from the store. After the robbery they dialed 15, the police emergency number, to inform the police, but the police was so busy in protecting the people that they didn’t even answer the phone. Then they called local police station to report the robbery. After good 15 or so minutes, two police men came in a bike, noted down everyone’s comments, and left. Whether or not they will do the investigation and bring the criminals to justice has always been a big question mark, so no big expectations here. But it sure is disturbing if a robbery can happen in a crowded area like Bahadurabad.

Daily Times recently started a series of articles called “Karachi Stories.” The one published today, by Hasan Mansoor, is a must read for anyone who is interested in the lore surrounding Karachi’s history.

The history of Bunder Road, now MA Jinnah Road, would have been different altogether had one man not refused a ìlucrative offerî given by his Englishman student some 150 years ago.

Read the rest here

I am still surprised why no one has posted this so far, not really sure how much value this particular site holds. But according to a contest currently taking place here World Mayor , ours cityís very own mayor has been nominated for World Mayor Award. Not only your votes count but also your supporting statements will make a difference. Do check that out.

Been reading the London metblog and other news websites about the recent London bombings. Thankfully no lives were lost this time but the event itself was pretty scary. The acts of terrorism, no matter where in the world they happen, always make me depressed. I was in New York when 9/11 happened and I felt just like any other US citizen did. I was shocked and horrified. Then I moved back to Karachi in January and have witnessed several waves of violence in a short span of 6 months. Not to mention the agony of growing up in Karachi in mid 90s. And now these London bombings. It just doesn’t make sense that few mentally disturbed people are messing up with the peace of entire world, and because of those few people, entire nations end up facing the consequences. I know it’s wishful thinking, but why can’t all the countries of the world just end this madness and live in peace, and cooperate with each other. If they really put their hearts into it, there is no issue in the world that cannot be resolved with peace.