Dr. Sania Nishtar is the founder and president of a health sector NGO (think tank), Heartfile which is the country’s  most powerful health policy voice today. She is also a member of many expert working groups and task forces of WHO (World Health Organization). She has also been an advisor to the WHO  on numerous occasions, has published over a hundred health journal articles and is the author of 4 other books. She is the recipient of many national and international awards and holds a fellowship of the royal College of Physicians of London and a Ph.D.

The book launch started off by presenting a copy of the book to the chief guest Professor Rashid Jooma Director general health, followed by an brief introductory address by Ameena Saiyid, managing director Oxford University Press. Other speakers included Khalif Mohamud Bile, WHO representative in Pakistan, Syed Tipu Sultan president-elect Pakistan Medical Association-Center (PMA), Mr. Javed Jabbar, former senator and minister of Information and Ishrat Husain, Dean and Director, Institute of Business Administration (IBA)

Also present at the launch were several noted personalities including Dr. Haroon,  Habib Fida Ali, several journalists, and many social / human right activists.

Today’s tirade is about the Gizri flyover. This flyover has been under construction since God-knows-when…. actually since over the past two and a half years. In this meantime, CDGK started and finished about a gagillion flyovers all over the city. Whereas, the DHA and the Cantonment board… slowly and steadily… kept hammering away at their only masterpiece – the Gizri flyover.

Since it falls on my daily route, I had been wishing and hoping that it would be opened soon so it could help the bottleneck that is the Punjab-chowrangi to Altamash hospital road, and then lo and behold — it seemed like the flyover had been completed by November. However, only now did the long wait for its final opening started. Maybe the DHA was waiting for some Big Thing to come open it, however that never materialized and we kept on waiting and waiting and waiting.

Suddenly, like a nuclear bomb, there was news in DAWN one fine morning that the Sindh High Court slapped some notices on to the authrities responsible for the flyover (read the story here). The very next day, the flyover had been opened. Take THAT DHA! There seems to be still a lot of commentary going on about whether this flyover was necessary or not or whether it could have been redesigned, and lots of old hags ragging on and on about hating this flyover, however, if you are a regular user of this road and live anywhere around the DHA area, or even if you are just looking for a bypass for the punjab-chowrangi to Altamash hospital bottleneck, you would have really breathed a sigh of relief.

Going up on this flyover, I literally feel like I have left my troubles behind. All the traffic jams and nightmares seem to evaporate into oblivion as I glide my way above the congested buildings of Gizri. Below it seems like a battlefield. Still alive with noise and dust kicking up into the air. I fly over it and descend smoothly at the Saudi embassy intersection. All my traffic woes (well at least the major ones), left for posterity. This is one GOOD GOOD GOOD work done. And one which was utterly necessary. However, why is it necessary to wait so long for good things to happen from DHA?

End note:

Even though this flyover is complete and is an absolute relief in terms of traffic issues, a lot of things about it are still FAR from complete. DHA still needs to get their a$$es moving fast and finish out the levelling and carpeting of the side roads under and beneath the flyover. Those side roads still have a lot of utility with a major hardware market being located there, and its destroyed condition is really a big headache still for Gizri residents and DHA residents who pass by there everyday. Also, now there is a big chance that major traffic congestion will start occurring at the Saudi Embassy intersection. How about building an underpass there too?

But this was surely out of the necessity as their new three in one telephone landline connection providing both television channels and internet broadband over the same single pair wire couldn’t possibly have worked seamlessly without better contact joints.

I hope PTCL understand the necessity and importance of quality service and continue to provide their valued customers with the service they deserve.

[ If you mouse-over the image it will give you the answer ]

” Above is an exclusive picture taken by a source at the entrance of Port Qasim near Karachi, showing US Hummers being transported out of the facility. According to the source, the shipment was not destined for Afghanistan. The picture was taken on Aug. 19, 2009 and being released here for the first time. “

[ credit : Paknationalists]

Nazim Karachi Mustafa Kamal has announced establishing “Karachi Development Trust” for the development and maintenance of infrastructure in city. This he did while dressing a gathering of thousands of employees of the CDGK, subsidiaries and the town administration. He said the funds collected will be utilized by a five member board comprised of non controversial and non political personalities. He personally submitted the form to donate RS. 1000 each month in the KDT account and added that if all account holders donate only Rs.5 in this account than we could collect Rs.45million monthly. Read more . .

The new American Consulate

The new American consulate was an unwelcome neighbour in most locations. It was previously proposed to be constructed near the Karachi Grammar School on Boat Basin. However, its security headaches prompted local area residents to sue for having it not built in their neighbourhoods. Consequently, it is now being constructed at the junction between M. T. Khan road and the Mai Kolachee bypass. If you pass by there and see two tall construction cranes, that is the site. I am highlighting the location in the satellite image below.

It so happens that this location falls on my daily route so I have been able to observe the stages of its construction from day 1. The construction activity is being carried out jointly with a Turkish firm. The structure has two perimeter walls, an outer brick wall with barbed wire on top, and an inner wall. The building structure itself is very solidly constructed with even the walls of the building being built of  steeel re-enforced concrete — in order to make it bomb proof. The location itself is not very cleverly chosen since KPT just constructed a flyover in the vicinity which can give an aerial view inside the perimeter of the compound. Not to mention, it is located at the junction of two critical arteries of the city.

The residential block?

Nevertheless, the American government has been given a generous amount of land here so they can construct offices as well as residences for their officials in Karachi. However, they should now try to be good neighbours and avoid being a burden on Karachi’s citizens. The roads crossing near this location are main city arteries and any kind of blockade of these roads by the American Consulate should not be allowed by the city authorities. Very importantly, the location straddles important public transport routes and mini-buses and rickshaws should NEVER be dis-allowed from passing this area (as it happened on Abdullah Haroon rd). Hopefully, once this building is functional, the citizens of Karachi will once again be able to enjoy the gardens of the beautiful Frere Hall in un-inhibited peace.

Storehouses for construction equipment?

Before parting, I must differentiate between American citizens and the American government (as pointed out by a commentor on my earlier post). The citizens of the United States can be of all kinds, just like the citizens of Pakistan. Of the ones who visit Pakistan, most would not like to live in such castles as the American consulate, and may go around to live in different hotels or even people’s houses. However, the American Consulate is an office of the American government and therefore represents an institutional entity which, due to its prominence, has understandable security needs. Since this location is being built from scratch, hopefully, the US government will be making sure that all its security needs within the city are being taken care of within the perimeter of its compound.

 

The KSA Gallery, another addition to the remarkable contributions of Rabia Zubairy in promoting art has recently opened at the Karachi School of Art with a vision to promote new immerging talent and to expose the art students to the work of senior artists of the country. The gallery is the only Art gallery situated in Gulshan -e- Iqbal a considerably convent spot for people and art enthusiasts living in areas like Nazimabad, North  Nazimabad, Buffer Zone and New Karachi F.B Area to reach for.   

The exhibition “Sentiments’ which is the second exhibition after the opening of the gallery in February this year is a group show of master pieces by noted artists including Marjorie Husain, Hajra Mansur, Mansur Rahi, Meher Afroz, Mussarat Mirza, Naheed Raza, Rabia Zuberi and Riffat Alvi.

At the exhibition the breathtaking artwork in acrylic on paper by Naheed Raza and equally vibrant in colors, in signature style work of Hajra Mansur in water color clearly added life to the exhibition. Work by Marjorie Husain, Mansur rahi, Riffat Alvi‘s art work in earth titled Big bang and oil on board titled human existence by Rabia Zuberi clearly stood out. While a few sculptures by Rabia Zuberi also added to the exhibition.

The Exhibition is truly a mix of sentimental, statements, emotions recorded by the master artists showing their command and strength on the medium to express them selves vibrantly through art.

The exhibition will continue till the 16th of May, 2009 and is highly advised for all art enthusiasts not to miss out on.

KSA Gallery, Karachi School Of Art.
ST-2B, Block 17, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi.
Phone: 021-4984167 & 021-4993471

McDonalds - Sab Sey Best Teacher Kaun? Campaign Billboard

Surely this is a commendable social effort, appreciating the hard working teachers. On the form provided by McDonalds the student has to write a short comment as to why the teacher should be selected and in order to complete the entry [possibly to also win the prize] they also share their personal contact information and school particulars, submitting these entries to the respective McDonalds outlets

Hundreds of Student entrants for the Sab Sey Best Teacher Kaun Campaign - Names and Contact numbers on display

The organizers then place these submissions on all their outlets but quite surprisingly have not bothered to concealing the personal particulars of the participating students. Their personal contact details which include his/her name, school particulars and even their home/cell phone numbers are publicly on display. Quite apparently a serious lapse in protecting the privacy information.

Contact information openly available

www.augere.eu