Written in 1940 by Rafi Peer, Usman Peerzada brings to life the story of Nawab Sahib Kibla starring Mohammad Qavi Khan, Javaid Rizvi, Mehreen Rafi and himself for 6 days at the Arts Council. Tickets at Rs.1000 are available for purchase from Agha’s Supermarket and Copper Kettle and proceeds from the sales will go towards The Citizen’s Foundation. The show started promptly at 930pm and shockingly, just one cellphone ringtone went off, but then that was before the MC made the announcement to remind the audience of the simple etiquettes, so we can let that one go. Read more

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A loud bang startled me, and my mind went to the war zone. This is what it sounds like when a bomb is dropped and countless living beings, mostly civilians are turned into a mess of minced meet and charred body parts. The smell of gunpowder which follows makes the air heavy, the images of the war zone,  the stench of the blood, the cries of children in pain, injured, dieing, crying in disbelieve that the colorful world they believed in could be so horrifying are added in by my wild imagination.

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Jalo mat, kalay ho jaao gay

We have all seen “Mehnat Kar, hasad na kar” on buses, rickshaws, taxis etc, but today I saw a new one, and found it worth sharing.

“Jalo mat, kalay ho jaao gay”

Basically, what it means is “Don’t be jealous”, but the phrase in urdu “Jalo mat”, refers to the colloquial reference jealousy in Urdu, which is in its meaning, is identical to the act of burning.

The phrase above says “Don’t be jealous or you will turn black”. The metaphor is the burning bit.

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I noticed this truck plying on Shahrai Faisal during peak rush hour which carried a MEDEQUIPS shipping label affixed to each wooden crate. I wonder if the rope is sturdy enough to prevent an accidental shift in the load and maybe avoid an accident. These irresponsible means of cargo transportation must be condemned and an attempt must also be made to monitor the huge 20 foot and 40 foot cargo containers that are shuttled around the city with only a flimsy rope to tie it down to the frame of the truck. All such hazards have contributed to some loss of life accident in the past and hence as concerned citizens must make a conscious effort to keep a check on this practice

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For Details : My City, My Responsibility

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The 13th of August brought rain and some relief from the heat Karachi had been suffering for a while. As I made my way back from office thinking the usual thoughts of “god how to find less traffic” and “man are they  ever gonna fix anything in the KESC for the rest of us who do not know anyone in the government” I saw an accident on Shahra E Faisal.  A couple riding a motorbike slipped in the rain and got hurt as it skidded across the road.

Perhaps this was a rare occurrence but in that instant the entire line of cars braked and stopped. People ran out  and gave them water, someone called an ambulance and helped them in when it arrived, the guards outside Avari wheeled their motorbike to the side and promised to keep it safe for them in the parking till they came back. In about five minutes the traffic started again but my mind stopped back there.

We often tend to blame our country, we often tend to scream and cuss at our leaders but do we ever look into our ownselves and ask what we have ever done for this land? Do we even realize what our ancestors gave up when they arrived in Karachi?  Or how the people who lived here opened their arms to them.  My own family was sheltered by a Hindu one in the old saddar area of Karachi. My own parents traveled first to Bombay by train and after that horrifying journey boarded a steamer to come here with nothing but hope.

This accident showed me something, it showed the good of the common Pakistani, it gave me hope for this land. For even if our politicians leave no stone unturned to take us as far back as possible the people of this land are hard working, hearty and good folk and one day god willing we will make it somewhere.

So let us today make an oath, let us try till the next 14th of August to forget that we are Mohajirs or Pathans or Sindhis or Baluchis or Punjabis. Let us first try to make ourselves worthy of the freedom that so many died for! Let us first call ourselves Pakistanis and be proud of it. This world may heap it all on us, and land every blame at our doorstep but do not forget who we are, we are the flag bearers of a rich country, we carry the wealth of freedom!!

Long Live Pakistan & Happy Independence Day!!

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It’s faith, trust, hope and perseverance that enables hundreds of thousands of people to demonstrate their belief today. We took a quick spin around an area closeby to see whether TeethMaestro’s observation really stood true - the fact that there were more Pakistan flags hoisted up higher than any other.

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A flurry of pompous and showy displays by leading student political groups marked early celebrations on the 13th of August, 2008 ahead of the 61st Independence Day here at the University of Karachi. Celebrations centered on at least three major points, one each for the three major political student groups at the university. Read more

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Midnight tonight marks the start of the celebrations for the 61st Independence Day for Pakistan. As customary to our celebrations the city resonates with fireworks, erratic gunfire, silencer-less bikes, screeching tires and blaring music quite literally people need an excuse to have a good time. With the gloomy political situation, an economic disaster and crushing security issues people still continue to find an opportunity to let themselves loose, as they say life must go on similarly in Karachi life does go on.

When on a casual drive around town tonight, everything else was exactly the same EXCEPT for one minor change. There were literally NO MQM flags dominating the scene, in contrast to yesteryears where it was customary to see the Pakistani flag being dwarfed in size & number replaced with the high flying MQM - Red, Green and White it was for tonight, not the case and we were [I was for sure] replaced with the pride of seeing one nation standing united under one flag.

Evoking patriotism is not difficult but it takes time for the patriotic spirit to sink into the hearts of the people, and if more such patriotic activities are conducted on a regular basis we will most definitely rise and stand proud. It requires the leadership to Think & Preach Pakistan and the people will definitely follow suit.

Its unfortunate that in Karachi for the past 20 odd years MQM has been in search for creating a separate identity [it still is] but one oft has to question if that goal supersedes the integrity and existence of Pakistan [I hope not]. The latest initiative by the ever energetic Mustafa Kamal to evoke patriotism by launching I Own Karachi campaign must be seen as a positive step and I truly believe if more such Pakistan specific events are held on a regular basis then we are definitely in for a positive change.

Knock on Wood, Pakistan Zindabad

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The City Government has today launched an initiative of enrolling volunteers to help manage the city’s affairs better.

The drive is aimed at creating a culture of caring for the city amongst its citizens as against the current trend of complaints and lack of ownership to the city’s issues. Issues like olunteering for traffic management, identifying and managing cleanliness issues, helping keeping the city green etc are on top of the list.

Enrollments will commence from tomorrow morning at Civic Centre. All people who enroll for this will be given a “city owner” badge and will become part of its coordnated database.

Come people! wake up! the city needs you. This is your chance to help make things better!

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Today Daily Times carried this report:

6 Korean women go missing in Karachi

Staff Report

KARACHI: Six Korean nationals have gone missing in Karachi ever since they arrived from Islamabad, Daily Times learnt Tuesday.

A reliable source in the police department told Daily Times on the condition of anonymity that the six women have been missing since the first week of August. They were identified as Kim Hyung Yam, Park Yun Jeong, Park Hee Jeong, Lee Soon Im, Hwang Eui Hyang, and Lee Yeonhee.

Dr Kyoung Yong Kim, chief of the Korean Mission, wrote the Inspector General of the Sindh Police Sultan Sallahuddin Babar Khattak on August 7, requesting help and better security for Korean nationals. Capital City Police Officer Karachi Wasim Ahmed confirmed the news.

This news items is not good for investors at all and is a serious headache for security agencies responsible for foreigners. An added risk here is of rape and mutilation as all captives are women. Karachi, already reeling from one of the worst economic crises, must not be falling on these issues. It is such news which gets splashed across world headlines and foreign investors gladly turn to India or Dubai.

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The second rain of the monsoon season just began in Karachi, and it is pouring down in all parts of the metropolis. Its early days yet as the denizens will have to wait a few hours before we know how and if we shall get home as is the case in a heavy downpour in Karachi. Will the newly developed sewerage system hold up to this onslaught???

Will we have monster traffic jams in the evening?? Probably, however right now is the time to sit and enjoy the rain or if one can, to take a quick bath outside as the monsoon rain is quite refreshing. The spirit of this city is quite visible in these rains as well because the sad faces of the general public seem to have lit up when drenched as is evident from my office window. If it continues pouring like this everything should close soon.

As far as i am concerned though I welcome the rain simply because i love it, it makes everything look fresh and new and the smell of wet soil is just divine.

So here is to the rain with a hot cuppa in my hand, what is your rain story?

Update: Skies are darkening even further, serious downpour expected wooohoooo

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