From 1973 constitution :-
Freedom of assembly and association. Article. 16, 17 :-

” Every citizen shall have the right to assemble peacefully and without arms, subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of public order ”

Another view of the ANP rally. That as one more gruesome video appears on internet where the animals are in control killing another guy. Since the video is too fast to comprehend here is the still shot.

ANP Rally at Maripur Road 11th May 2008

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DJ Science College - (Dayaram Jethamal Science College), originally uploaded by Raja Islam.

Most of my favorite buildings in the city are from the British era. When I saw this photo it reminded me of a set of old photos of Karachi that I had received as a forwarded email. Above is the D.J. Government Science College in the year 2007 and below is the same building in 1893, soon after its construction was completed.
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Help-Pakistan.com : October 8th 2005, changed Pakistan forever, at precisely 08:50:38 a massive earthquake struck the northern areas of Pakistan over 80,000 lives perished in a blink of an eye, thousands were displaced ultimately resulting in millions of dollars in damage.

At this tragic moment it was really heartening to see that every Pakistani around the world joined in the relief efforts in unison to help the suffering. It was a proud moment of unity which sadly seemed to last for a fleeting moment and has long since been forgotten, the tragedy was without doubt a lesson from God Almighty, but it seems that we may have already forgotten too quickly, we continue to loot and plunder the nation with no care and worries of any repercussions whatsoever.

I would like to join A for [pine]Apple in prayer at Islamabad Metroblogs

Let’s pray for the departed souls, May Allah bless them with Maghfirah and Peace in Jannah; and for the affectees who lost limbs, families, homes, businesses, and lot more we’d never be able to even comprehend, May Allah’s blessings be with them (Ameen)

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Owais Mughal of All things Pakistan has written a very interesting post on the Karachi Tramway. Tracing the ninety year history of urban transport in Karachi from 1885-1975, the article cites the fading memories of the old Karachi’s transport facilities that now remain in the form of old photos, maps and decaying landmarks.

The video included at the end of the article shows a tram moving on the streets of Karachi. It was interesting to note that the rickshaw shown in the shoot (circa 1960) is almost the same we still see in Karachi these days. The creature has not only kept its relevance in our daily lives but also kept its form.
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While walking towards my office building after parking my car, I noticed a gentleman dressed in shirt and tie, coming from opposite direction.

Just when he passed me, he uttered, “How are you, buddy?”

I thought maybe he recognized me from somewhere (I am bad at remembering faces, so it’s not unusual for me to run into people who recognize me but I don’t have a clue who they are). By then I had walked past him by a few feet, so I turned around and walked back to him, thinking he might be an old acquaintance.
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Never had we needed great poets like Jalib (& obviously Faiz) as now. His anniversary on 12th March coincided with ongoing events & for the first time I heard one of the sweetest voices by poet on TV (CNBC) by Mujahid Barelvi (himself a friend of HJ)

His sweet voice along with excellent poetry makes listener move emotionally. His famous poem “Dastoor” stands today as a landmark in the history of Pakistan’s political struggle and became a glowing symbol of protest literature.

Deep jis ka mehlaat hee mein jaley
(A lamp only in palaces lit)
Chand logon kee khushion ko lay kar chaley
(Shed light for a chosen few)
Voh jo savay mein har muslihat kay chaley
(Shade in which one has to fit)
Aisey dastoor ko, subha-e-beynoor ko
(Such rites and lightless dawns)
Main nahin maanta, main nahin jaanta
( I will not accept: I refuse to know.)

His relation to Karachi was related to Daily Imroze. He was very popular in functions & why he shouldn’t be. Living in abject poverty he never compromised on principles & as I watched him on TV I wondered how unlucky we are to miss people like Faiz & Jalib.

Check this excellent “I will live again in a New Era” poem provided by Fawad & Dr. Pervaiz.
Jalib had a painful history of struggle & his poetry reflected his vision and approach to life & he never deviated from his chosen path. His love for humankind, his sympathy for the underdog and his passion for the fellow-beings were reflected in his verses.

Related other : Ten Poems, Urdu Point, Chowk : My encounter with Jalib
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Matchbox

Image Credit : Edge of Space

Whenever I am at seaside experiencing the Karachi’s beautiful evening & seeing the Sun disappearing into the sea Karachi & its memories often flash in front of me. My city is experiencing a lot of economic activity. Few shots or loud sounds at my back take my mind back into 90’s. The horrible days of 90’s are over. Karachi is emerging with different prospects & the days look definitely better than the ones in 90’s. During that experience this short emotional poetry by Zeeshan Sahil titled Matchbox often comes to mind. How often Karachiites remember their city, specially its past in their fast paced life?

Imagine walking up to an ATM and not having to insert your credit or debit card, and not having to remember that 4-digit pin number that you always forget.

Tameer Micro Finance Bank has deployed Biometric ATMs in the city. These ATMs use finger-print recognition technology to give access to the bank account. So no ATM card is required. Although, this technology is aimed for people who find it hard to use traditional ATMs, specially in less developed areas where keeping an ATM card and remembering pin numbers is not very practical, I don’t see why it wouldn’t work for everyone else.

Credit: Raja Islam

Last night was something else; stopped by forum for a bit to see the shows, the music and of course the Henna. The ladies all had to get theirs done in seperate way. There was a great mood that night, everyone out feeling good about the end of a month of fasting. It was really nice to see such spirit and fun coming from this night.
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