Seventy Days in Karachi

Karachi is a city where my great grand father is buried , Karachi to me is not just a city but its my home . Karachi is bleeding today thanks to Feds, Punjab and Co. , Islamists ( specially Jamat-e-Islami ) and yes I have to admit party because of MQM as well . Karachi is a play ground for jamat-e-islami and religious alliance as well whatever they do , they start with Karachi it is also a home of Afghans Refuges whom I somehow started to hate ( yes , I am racist ) . Karachi is a liberal city secular in every respect where Sunis , Shia`s , Islamalis , Parsis , Hindus living togather - Karachi is a shelter for women and lovers who run away from different parts of Pakistan so they could live and vanish from there feudral society. Karachi is a home of middle class unlike feudral class which rules every aspect of society in Urban and Rural of Pakistan.
Gulistan-e-Jauhar : area surrounded by flats and more flats - unplanned mostly where lower middle class families shifted in persuit of a better life .... but ended up losing everything they had before , no water , no telephones no electricity connections and crime and more crime + prostitutions specially by Tajiks and Afghans .
Gulshan-e-Iqbal : area which starts from Hassan Square - divinded into blocks before a peaceful area now : a hell , thanks to road works , water connections , high crime rate - over commercialization and there Jamati Nazim : Mr. Wahab ( remember the case when he Nazim Sahib , raided Nomi ( models ) house ? )
Defence : Used to be a posh area , home of Richies Rich - now a so- called posh area where every plot is up for sale - a place with no water thanks to Water Tankers Mafia and Rangers - Wanabe`s Place--
P.E.C.H.S : information not avalible - but a relatively better area they started something with CPLC Neighbourhood Watch Programme and the areas crime rate has gone down from that point ..
Super Highway and Maymar : Place to Invest - obviously the prices are at all time high one reason is the shifting of Sazi Mandi there and another reason is Maymar Housing ..etc.. like societies mashrooming there - do try Makka Medina Karhai Goosht there..
Nazimabad and N. Nazimabad : all the good people there shifted abroad or lives in Gulshan or Defence now - rest are trying to do what others did -

overall I think the gap between middle class and poor of Karachi is incresing , Immigration is a huge problem specially those Afghan`s should be kicked out !!!

Karachi is a city where my great grand father is buried , Karachi to me is not just a city but its my home . Karachi is bleeding today thanks to Feds, Punjab and Co. , Islamists ( specially Jamat-e-Islami ) and yes I have to admit party because of MQM as well . Karachi is a play ground for jamat-e-islami and religious alliance as well whatever they do , they start with Karachi it is also a home of Afghans Refuges whom I somehow started to hate ( yes , I am racist ) . Karachi is a liberal city secular in every respect where Sunis , Shia`s , Islamalis , Parsis , Hindus living togather - Karachi is a shelter for women and lovers who run away from different parts of Pakistan so they could live and vanish from there feudral society. Karachi is a home of middle class unlike feudral class which rules every aspect of society in Urban and Rural of Pakistan.
Gulistan-e-Jauhar : area surrounded by flats and more flats - unplanned mostly where lower middle class families shifted in persuit of a better life .... but ended up losing everything they had before , no water , no telephones no electricity connections and crime and more crime + prostitutions specially by Tajiks and Afghans .
Gulshan-e-Iqbal : area which starts from Hassan Square - divinded into blocks before a peaceful area now : a hell , thanks to road works , water connections , high crime rate - over commercialization and there Jamati Nazim : Mr. Wahab ( remember the case when he Nazim Sahib , raided Nomi ( models ) house ? )
Defence : Used to be a posh area , home of Richies Rich - now a so- called posh area where every plot is up for sale - a place with no water thanks to Water Tankers Mafia and Rangers - Wanabe`s Place--
P.E.C.H.S : information not avalible - but a relatively better area they started something with CPLC Neighbourhood Watch Programme and the areas crime rate has gone down from that point ..
Super Highway and Maymar : Place to Invest - obviously the prices are at all time high one reason is the shifting of Sazi Mandi there and another reason is Maymar Housing ..etc.. like societies mashrooming there - do try Makka Medina Karhai Goosht there..
Nazimabad and N. Nazimabad : all the good people there shifted abroad or lives in Gulshan or Defence now - rest are trying to do what others did -

overall I think the gap between middle class and poor of Karachi is incresing , Immigration is a huge problem specially those Afghan`s should be kicked out !!!

Karachi is a great city. My sole reason for thinking that is because that`s where a lot of my family is. Other than that, the extreme heat and humidity present in the summertime really suffocated the experience a bit. Unfortunately, like a mentioned in the article I spent all of my time in Karachi in indulging in restaurants, weddings, and shopping like the world was about to end. The only time when I did go to some place that could be considered a bit more educational was when I went to the Northern Areas. Which are better than any Pakistani city!

fobby - as someone who`s never been to Karachi, I liked this! more than that, i liked the feeling of nostalgia and loss that ran under it.

But yeah, I think a little editing would have been in order, keeping the audience in mind. Still, hope to read more of you...

Dunkin Donut very much exists in Karachi, but since when did American fast food dictate a cities reputation? The reason why Karachi is a city is because its one of the largest cities in Asia; Seoul (10.2 million), Bombay (9.9 million), Jakarta (9.4 million), Karachi (9.3 million).

**rolls her eyes**

peace.

And I thought.....

Karachi in the evening and at night is much cooler.....Strong breeze .....

and all.....

Re: # 18

Did I say 84/4? I WISH :/ It`s 64/4!

Re: # 15

Measuring a city`s development by doughnuts, coffee and Hira Mandi? You`re either 12 years old, or a wannabe obese American cop.

Don`t touch chaai. It`s a trademark and if that gets replaced by coffee, the moon and the star on our flag would fall apart. If Indians can`t handle that, they can go weep about it to Saurav Ganguly.

Sorry. No offense meant. Pakistan VS India LIVE on TV. Pakistan`s score is 84/4. Fizza`s mood is immersed in anger.

P.S. Karachi has three branches of DD as far as I recollect from the last time I was there. And no, you don`t need an invitation to go there anymore.

Re: # 16
annieqb. P:when I went to Karachi May 1999, a DD had just opened in Defense. The first few days it was by invitation only :-) - & I wasn`t invited... I don`t know if it`s still around..``}

annie,
Thanks for restoring my faith in Karachi. Apparently my invitation got lost in the mail. At least, Karachi is as much a modern city as Lahore. Now only if we had a Hira Mandi. :)

Re: # 15 ``Not a single place with a gleaming, shining, American-style Dunkin Donut...`` - when I went to Karachi May 1999, a DD had just opened in Defense. The first few days it was by invitation only :-) - & I wasn`t invited... I don`t know if it`s still around..

amFOB,
I can`t believe that we call Karachi a city. Hum ko sharam ke maray doob jana chahiye. Lahore has a Dunkin Donut AND a Hira Mandi. What do we have in Karachi? Nothing, just the same old Hawke`s Bay, Sandspit, Hill Park, Dreamworld, Mangopir, Tariq Road, and Empress Market. Not a single place with a gleaming, shining, American-style Dunkin Donut where we can impress visiting Indians into thinking that we have kicked the chai habit. Who cares about their tea plantations and sexy tea commercials. We drink coffee. But no, Lahore can say it, but not Karachi. When will that stupid MQM ever learn that progress is essential if Karachi is to survive?

Very Good Miss Iqbal. Do keep writing, although do make it a habit to proof read your creations atleast twice to get rid of grammatical errors, comma splices and dissonant sentences. Tell us more about your time in Karachi. What else did you do besides breathing the humid air. Did you converse with strangers. Did you visit any places of historical interest while in Pakistan. Offer your opinions on the state of affairs in Karachi. Any other fun activities you indulged in besides shopping and attending weddings.

Sameena,
Oh how could you? Don`t tell me that you are named Sameena, like That Woman on UP.
Ignoring that aspect of your narrative, I enjoyed reading this anecdote. You did not mention whether Karachi has a Dunkin Donut. Right now that piece of information is crucial to determining its place in the totem pole of cities.

Why the hell bother writing? And now that you have why bother apologizing?

good for you sameena!!

Sorry to screw up with the geography (the exact latitude and longitude lines), but I wrote this piece for a writing class full of white people. Karachi is very close to the equator when you think about it from North American perspective.

I`m sorry you found the ending dissapointing, this piece wasn`t fictional at all. It was just placing a fond memory on paper. My main goal for this paper was to view my experience there through a thermometer.

BTW...I still got an A for this paper despite the spelling and grammar some nitpickers may have found :)