O Karachi

I like this. We can have fond memories of a lot of pleasant things and if they include silver service and a golden childhood, heck, tau sone pe suhaaga. The writer is conveying a slice of that aspect; he is not sitting to do a hisaab-kitaab of violence and poverty in Karachi...

Btw, we get Duke`s Raspberry here, and only Parsis and some Khojas relish it...the true paagals :)

I also think that Bombay, Mumbai, is the best city in the world. In fact, in our part of the subcontinent, it is the only place that qualifies as a `city`.

A couple of cliched sentences could have been avoided in this piece and a bit more meat would not have harmed...and I am not talking biryani, paya, nihari...

Shahzad

You depicted the life very well. Smooth & easy to read. You had a lolli-pop childhood. I guess the people in that bracket still have more or less the same life.

What I most miss in Karachi is that open liberal environment. Nightly Shows (liddo`s), world`s best bands used to come and open bars. I may not be crazy about all these things but I want to exercise my choice.

Another good feature was the neat and clean cinema halls running the latest movies (palace). And where the families regulaly went as a Sunday outing. That entire culture is now missing.

Finally, the opening of the first Chinese - South China Cafe where each dish cost only about 3 rupees.

#10:perhaps you should convey these statistics to the shias who have lost loved ones ... im sure they would appreciate it.

We should accept what has become of the karachi we all dearly love..
although Mr.Kazi`s musings seem to be of a ``prosperous`` nature , that used to be the very karachi which was not in the sorry state it is now. Although things never were perfect, no era beats the anarchy we see now. Among others, we have ZiaUlHaq and the mullahs to thank to a large extent for what karachi and infact Pakistan has become...
Nonetheless great piece ... takes one back to the good old days.

Dear Mr. Shahzad Kazi........... Mr. Kazisahib you just made me sad and cry of gone days. I am 55 and remember great Karachi before all crime swept like a flood all over and destroyed karachi the the city of light. I felt while reading as if we are revisiting very old gone area. But its not old just 45 years ago. It is sad to its only 50 years the city is destroyed and is reduced to kingdom of all Mafias. Now just walk away from main roads and you see heap of garbage heaps, broken roads, nonworking sewers and coming bad smell, shits lying all around and junli starving dogs and that heat and humidity and decomposing of garbage and strange stench emitting of,its feeling of death pervading all around and poor are punished for hellon earth not afraid of judgement day as hell can not be worst and making all crimes. I do not know if you remember the area area aroung laxmi building , i and my dears sisters and brothers walk and watch going traffic. How things changed, take walk around Q.A.M.A. Jinnah road it has become drug alleys. Along walls of road see emancipated drug addicts injecting ``afghan drugs`` in open or see men and women smoking by useing glass pipes. Its so common to see people heating ``power`` in spoon and smoking. I do not blame what they can do. Bad things do not go but multiply it hurts, its best not to think.
from 4 to 5 millions the city is over 20 millions they say who knows? It may be 18 or 22 million now it does not matter its swelling. I am Punjabi and do not blame mohajirs as L.A. Khan (Mohajir Supremo) was culprit he started campaign aginst ousting over 40% Hindus who were cream of society they were mwecilessly driven in madness to make sure that Indians are filled and LA Khan has secure base politically. It was rape of mild sindhi natured sindhi people and destruction of city. The people who came did not give damn to city as Karachi and we had all dirtyness Lucknow, UP and Bihar and merciless people ariving in droves. Then once you drive 40% of people who were Sindhis(though hindu) and had love for sindhh, sindhi and karachi there was noting to be done to improve. The city was raped by shear numbers and this is going to going where it ends god knows. For that matter Sindhis blame ,abuse every body as this bloody thing happened under their watch and it was too saddening for them. Then when sindhis say Jiye sindh its just like they feel who jews felt about loss of Jeruslem for 2000 years. Today its not sindhi city its indian - north city. 85% of speakers are urdu ans sindhi has no value. I do not know but Sindghi`s say LA Khan use to say `` sindhi culture, what is Sindhi culture driving camel and donkeys`` it may be fabricated also but this is standard story from sindhis.
I personally feel as sindis reduced to 15% from majority and new aggressive Indian Mughals came every tning chaneged radically. We saw then Mughal manifestation of MQM in drilling of knees, murder as way of politics, fanaticism.
I really lament . I fear present is bad but future may be hell, when you think our population will be hittinh 350 million by 2035. All extra peoples at least ( conservatively) 10% settle in karachi it will be nearing 40 million.
Well I will not think about future as it turns up stomach. IGNORANCE is BLISS in karachi`s future.

Nice article.

Ref Jay #4 -

To set the record straight, an average of over 1500 people were killed in violence of one type of the other, every year for over 15 years ... a record 2400 died in one year during the late nineties. It is for this very reason this article is even relevant. People in Karachi lived through curfews that lasted several months on occasion ... religion contributed its share; so did the drug trade, the proxy war in Afghanistan, and a healthy dose of plain and simple lunacy. Did I forget the bomb blast in Bohri Bazaar that killed over 250 in one wicked explosion or the carnage in Orangi Town that killed over 500 in 2 days - and ...

As an FYI, NY sees 1200 violent crimes every year! There is usually a casualty in each one of these crimes.

Anyway.

Shahzad,

Here are some other memories ...

Street cricket
Student ki Biryani
NED ka campus
Spinzer
Bundu Khan kay Kabab
Mullah ki Nihari
Mr Burger
...

sorry to say this but the karachi you describe never existed for the vast majority.
as for those who had this karachi , i think the city is in this mess, in part & a large part it is, due to them.
As for the karachi now , go out at 2 in the morning , you can hear the city breath , & if you listen closely you can hear it whisper , it has sad voice .
but if you can really see , the city lifts its veil & guess what, it is is still beautiful.
as a t-shirt says, my karachi, munja karachi, manni karachi...... mera KARACHI

it`s good to remember happy moments,at the time of miseres.

So you write articles for chowk in your office, and then no doubt go home and complain about the tough day you had at work. :-)

And please no more self-pitying by you or any other ex-Karachiite UNLESS you are willing to put your money where your mouth is. You can do that by contributing regularly to one of the many community organizations involved in improvement of that city. Otherwise, all you are doing is indulging in self-pity while enjoying the good life in Florida.

Dear Jay,


  The terrorist groups who call themselves the Jihadis do not kill for religion. The name of religion has only been used over the years to attract the middle class youth to take the frontline for them. The actual struggle has always been for what you called `gains`.

  The whole Jihad phenomenon as it is practiced today, started during the war for liberation of Afghanistan. It was the CIA who think-tanked the whole idea of using the name of religion and the term `Jihad`, in order to attract the youth of middle and lower middle class to join their fight against communism in Afghanistan. The first few of the private Islamic armies were then created and trained by the CIA who also planned the popularization of this concept of Jihad and Muslim brotherhood through the media, the clergy, and the academic curriculum.

  Upon achieving the objectives in Afghanistan, the CIA left the toilet without flushing their shitt off. The technology, the infrastructure, the weapons, the money and the proprietership of the opium business was left solely with the ISI and the religious groups.

  Every disagreement among the leaders of those religious groups gave rise to a new private army. Some planned to take over the world under the flag of Islam, others wanted to get rid of the local opposing sects first. Some took over the opium business, others found donors abroad, yet others had to resort to robbing and looting in Pakistan to generate finances. Some saw the central asian Islamic states as the next target after Afghanistan, others went to help their Kashmiri brothers pledging the fall of Delhi, yet others thought cleaning Pakistan of Shias was their foremost responsibility.

  The local armies that didn`t get a share from the opium business are now practically going for rent. The young men they hire to take the front-line are first prepared with feelings of hatred towards a certain opposing sect. Then they`re made to commit an act of terror against a target belonging to that sect for free. Once they`re into it, they are paid and/or blackmailed to kill just anyone from any sect or religion. These armies grew stronger and stronger right under the nose of the liberal governments of Banezir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif. After Gen. Musharraf tried to put a check on the activities of these groups, these groups went underground for some time.

  Osama ben Laden was one of the most competent of the CIA trained Jihad personnel. After the Afghan war he joined another army, then had a disagreement with them and created his own army and called it AlQaeda. AlQaeda is the most well-financed of all the armies. It was them who had to pay the most, for Musharraf`s decision to change the policy towards these groups, after the ISI actually started picking out the AlQaeda officials and handing them over to the USA.

  They did not go underground. They had the resources to seek revenge from Pakistan. Hence the series of attacks on churches. The personnel used in these attacks, interestingly, were the Pakistani private armies that had been quietly waiting for such an opportunity. It is interesting to know that the attack on the French engineers outside a hotel, was first planned by the local terrorists, and then the blue-print was shown to AlQaeda and an Indian agency seperately, both of whom approved to sponsor it. After the recent attack on the policemen outside the American Councilate in Karachi, one of the terrorists running away from the scene was arrested. He revealed complete details of how AlQaeda financed this operation.

  Religion is only a part of this game because the CIA had thought that`d suit them in the Afghan war. Otherwise this is a game of terror between agencies for which civilians have to die, in India, in Pakistan, and in the US on 9/11. Killing is always for objective gains, Religion, Nationalism, and War against Terror, all mean the same!

I also have many fond memories of Karachi.

Thanks for rekindling some of them here.

The question now is:

CAN THAT KARACHI EVER MAKE A COMEBACK?


Ras

``Alas the Karachi I knew is no more. Things have changed for the worse. Along with a population explosion has come crime and pollution. Neither the city nor the people are the same but I guess that is the way of the world and things have to change though unfortunately not always for the better.``

Another pathetic pakistani, refusing to accept reality. There has been population explosion every where, and all have not gone the way of karachi, most have prospered, karachi is an exception. You know what is wrong with karachi, it is part of pakistan, it is part of a society built on hatred, and that is why the crime is on the increase.

More than a hundred shia doctors have been killed, not a single person arrested, last month there was an attack on shia mosque, no one arrested, say it loud, accept it Mr Kazi, no one is arrested because as any pakistani would say, those killed were, non-innocent. This is called sectarian violence in pakistan, a sofisitcated word for jihadic killing and no one gets arrested.

Here is a statistic for you, in the last three years, 280 people have been killed in sectarian killing only 5 prosecuted. Please remeber, Mr kazi, the killers of iranian diplomats were prosecuted after 10 years with so much of pressure from iran.

Mr. Kazi, a society that accpts killing in the name of religion, it is only a small step away from killing for gains. Karachi has taken that step, cra jacking killings, kidnap killings all are on the rise, simply because pak society accepts jihadic killings.
Mr kazi, take a trip to pakistan, leave florida for a while, go to the meeting of laskers at madreke, learn about pak society, join the millions.

I can understand ure feelings :) ... Change is the only constant ..

a quick query for now...are you talat`s brother?...more later....t

Its true that the Karachi you remmember has changed a tremendous lot, but you see we are talking time here and i beleive that anything and everything in this world changes with time. You cannot claim that the city and the people have gone down a 100 % transformation. The places you have described above still stand and the life style is still the same for many people. But ofcourse there will be a slight change, do you want them to be called backwards?, they are moving according to the demands of this century and if you look back at America some 15 yrs ago, or any other country, you will surely notice a change in people and their attitudes and as far as the buildings or structures are concerned, nothing is forever and nothing is ever new, which can go for you, for me and for everyone else.