Faisal Qureshi the host of Ankahi talk show on Samaa TV has initiated a a day long cleanliness drive in Karachi on Sunday 12th October 2008 in collaboration with Loose Ends Pakistan, Ankahi, CDGK and Samaa TV

The objective of the day long campaign is to bring conscientious people together to take ownership of Karachi and play a part in letting it breath again. The project is to clean the clutter created by excessive advertising messages in the form of graffiti painted all over the city. We will begin this project by taking on a section of such an area and completely repainting it.

Loose Ends Pakistan would like to invite all citizens of this city to come together to take a stand and play a part in making Karachi a better place.

For details of the event, watch Samaa TV. For security reasons the venue will be announced through: facebook, Samaa TV, and Chopaal. Please register yourself with Chopaal and add tag “lepkarachi” for live broadcasts of the event.

Times are changing fast. The world is going through rapid change. There is a way, still, to master change: by mastering one’s Intent - as it is one’s own intent and attention that shape the world.

PERSONAL EXCELLENCE WORKSHOPS

Personal Excellence is a one-day program aimed at providing an examination of the key elements of personal excellence.
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well, ramzan are here and everywhere you go, you see a flock of people shopping at the last minute for sehri and iftaar and general grocery items.

myself and family being amongst the lot, we decided to head for makro for the month’s supply of groceries. to my surprise, the huge store was flocked to the brim so much that it seemed impossible to traverse inside.

once the hunt for parking was over, i set upon the search for a cart, as the security by the escalators cleared that carts were impossible to find. i went back to the parking area hoping to snag a cart as some shoppers stack their cars. however, i soon found out that all the carts were already booked by the time they got to their cars. so, i moved towards the main entrance, only to find out that the situation was the same.

as i moved closer and closer to the escalators, i realized that the carts were actually booked inside the store. new shoppers would come out with the leaving shoppers, follow them to their cars, help them unload and go back inside for their shopping.

i decided to leave at this time as i had spent a good half hour with no success.

what’s your experience of ramzan preps going on?

As reported in Daily Times today:

By Nayel Noorani

KARACHI: Two studies conducted by faculty and students at the Aga Khan University into the attitudes toward suicide bombing among educated people in Karachi and in the tribal areas showed surprisingly divergent results.

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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

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

Protest against Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s Inhuman & Illegal Detention By US Military

Karachi Press Club - SATURDAY, 9th August 2008 at 6:00 pm
RSVP Facebook Event

Karachiites have jointly decided to condemn the illegal detention and inhuman treatment given to Dr. Afia Siddiqui in Afghanistan since 2003.

Dr Aafia Siddiqui, a highly qualified scientist was kidnapped along with her three children from Karachi in 2003. Since then she has been missing while the Government of Pakistan and US military authorities have refused to acknowledge her existence for the past five years. Recently the human rights activist Yvonne Ridley highlighted the presence of a certain prisoner held captive in US Military jail in Afghanistan called Prisoner 650 who had much resemblance to the Pakistani doctor missing since 2003.

Since then the US Government has tried to launch a massive cover while ’suddenly finding her’ in July 2008 after which she has been charged with assaulting a US officer and is under prosecution in a New York Magistrate court on these counts.
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As seen on August 1.

Image Courtesy: Daily Times

Daily Times reported that the Sindh Information Department mistakenly addressed Madr-e-Millat Fatima Jinnah as Fatima Jinnah Bhutto in an invitation in connection with a ceremony held to mark her 115th birth anniversary in Karachi. It is said that the mistake was made when Information Department officials wrote Fatima Jinnah Bhutto above the name of Sindh Minister for Women’s Welfare Toqeer Fatima Bhutto.

We should all fear for our names now. Zaradri has already said that:

Har ghar se Bhutto niklay ga,
tum kitnay Bhutto maro gay

He probably meant that everyone’s name will be forcibly changed to Bhutto. If they can do it to Ms Fatima Jinnah posthumously, then the living breathing people stand no chance of weathering the Bhutto onslaught. Zaradari has changed the name of all his children; Mardr-e-Millat was next. Let’s see who now will bite the Bhutto bug.

A 5th bomb blast has just been reported in a matter of an hour. The first was reported at Banaras and the second at Qasba Colony. The third at Sharah-e-Noor Jehan. I could still the sirens blaring all around when a fourth was reported in Hyderi. Another just went off at Manghopir.

May Allah have mercy on us!! Amen

Updates: Another one reported in Pak Colony. One man killed.