Karachi Voice

It has been quite a while since I last wrote something about Karachi on my Blog. Maybe because I have been struggling hard to get my life back into rhythm. There are a number of issues to deal with as of today when you live in a city like Karachi and when the economy and the country itself is trembling. Besides all the development and betterment Karachi has gone through lately, there are some issues that has to be addressed and taken quite seriously now. Couple of days back, almost three nights in a row I couldn't sleep because of some weddings going on in the next street. When the loud and extremely bad quality cheap Indian music took a break after almost 4 hours, come the fireworks and the gun fires! The driving force for me to write this was a post where the same issue is faced by Faisal K and I am totally with him on this one. The winter month of december is ending in its full and nippy glory here in Karachi and the never ending series of weddings just keeps going on and on

8th of April, needless to write about stupid politicians being beaten up and aggression on the roads, the next day. Fleeing from office around 5 in the evening I reached my area safely but quite late due to heavy traffic. Near yaseenabad, I came across this gas station which was shield-closed with the tent walls. I was to drop a friend but I stopped to take a snap. As the picture speaks the bikers await desperately for fueling. I did not notice at the time that one man was approaching me while i was taking the picture. I later discovered that I did capture him. If u notice closely he's the person stepping out from the bikes and looking towards me. Just as I put my cell in the pocket he arrived and asked what and whose picture I took, two more "decent" guys approached me and asked me to show them the picture, after a bit of hitch I showed them the picture while holding the phone in my hand. He asked me why did I take this picture. I told him that I'm a reporter and I w

The image above is - I think everyone would know where it's from by now... It's actually on KPT Underpass Clifton (AKA Sean Circle). Since the past couple of years I've been "wondering" what this piece of art means... Is it an illustration? any Concept! what? I would have accepted it as an art ONLY if it looked good. But it doesn't even look good. So the mystery question is that what is it doing there and why? They have recently re-painted it from red to orange and black theme. Probably this is a makeover, probably the red color faded off due to sunburn. No idea! This piece of art remains a wonder till date! If someone ever figures out what is it and why is it there I'd be more than glad and would be truly and deeply grateful to the generous human being for clearing my life long wondering!

... Ashamed! Truly I am! I've been hearing about videos on YouTube regarding frustrated / desperate couples making love right in the middle of the Mazar-e-Quaid, open air, public display of love and affection (PDA). I've been observing teenage guys watching videos of Pakistani young girls dancing like crazy on events in their schools and personal parties. I kept on wondering, what's happening to the people of Karachi! Have they forgotten their religion? Have they forgotten their identity, their own respect, their own pride! Chains of thoughts leads to blaming of almost everything around us, the TV channels, the movies, the media, the education, the parents, the children themselves, the traditions everything... Just as it began to build up and something could be said, I've been notified by a blogger on KMB (link probably doesn't work as of now), about an incident that took place in same place, under an apparently different topic . A young woman was drugged and raped

The picture above is a sign of a good old source of light, the sweet candle, now only remembered in terms and times of a higher emotional state of mind. Yes, you guessed it right - a romantic dinner! But there is also one more occasion when the emotions are high and the candle is thought of quite desperately. And that's when you are resting on your bed, in a dark summer night, and suddenly all the sounds go quiet around you. You open your eyes - you see nothing, you try to listen - you hear nothing. The first thing that pops into one's mind is a candle. You get up and light a candle, lay back on your bed, and wonder - why! Why in the middle of the night! Why my block! Suddenly you feel like being a dinner for the mosquitoes, so you get up and start wandering around the house. You're still thinking... why did I pay the bill, why did I work all week long to pay the bill, why do I do it, Why do I have to go to the office again in the morning. What my life has been, why do I st

There as been a previous post on Karachi Metblogs , about the digital boards located on Metropole. I noticed another digital board near the JPMC chawrangi One... Two... Three more... and Karachi would look like this... This is New York Time Square! The city that never sleeps - The life that never stops. Same is said for Karachi! The city that never sleeps! The life that never stops. Imagine this image to be of our own city center, Regal Market - Saddar! :) The digital outdoor advertising is now taking its first steps onto the roads of Karachi. I think, only if the new technology is put to use the smart way, it can go a long way into the future. This could be the future of Karachi in the next few years. If not these few boards in town might end up like the one Hassan Square (Picture N/A yet) I remember sometime back in 1993-1996 the huge TV displaying the adds and all sort of different stuff on the large screen in color! It was quite a pride for Karachi to have that in place. Unfortuna

The Dawn News has confirmed the assassination of Fazalur Rehman Atakhel ANP leader shot dead in Karachi: police KARACHI, Feb 6 (AFP): Gunmen on a motorcycle shot dead a Pashtoon politician in Karachi on Wednesday, police said. The attackers ambushed the car of Awami National Party Sindh Vice President Fazalur Rehman Atakhel in Sohrab Goth and escaped, police official Javed Afridi told AFP. Atakhel, about 50 years old, died on the spot, Afridi said. Unrest gripped the Pashtoon-dominated neighbourhood after the killing and angry ANP supporters resorted to firing shots in the air. Some protesters set a bus on fire, pelted passing cars with stones and set up roadblocks using burning tyres, witnesses said.(Posted @ 18:41 PST, Updated @ 19:42 PST)

Unconfirmed reports of ANP Chief killed has been spreading across the city, causing panic among public. People have been fleeing from offices and shops to rush back home hence badly jamming the roads around the city. Although there has been no confirmation or denial of the killing by any of the news channels or authentic sources, rumors are spreading that firing has been seen and heard in busy places like Saddar, Sohrab Goth etc and police is roaming around to maintain calamity across the city... Let hope for the best...

Last night me and some friends decided to go out for a nice cup of coffee. We landed on a nearby local fast food restaurant and ordered 3 cups. Soon after hearing the order, the waiter replied "You cant sit here, you're not gonna get any coffee here", quite baffled we asked, then where should we sit to have coffee. He replied "Barabar mein". The shop next to it was a division of the same shop for people having ice-cream. we moved to the other portion making fun of the 'Rule' and guess what we are greeted with when we entered. Translation of Picture Text: "Sitting for more than 10 minutes is not allowed" :)

The image attached below is a screenshot from My Google Reader, I have recently subscribed to Dawn Newspaper RSS feed. Today was the first day when I had the G-Reader Gadget on my iGoogle home page. Here are some interesting facts that I noticed from 5 hours till 10 O'Clock in the Morning. I noticed that from 10 AM till 3 PM, there are 9 reported bomb blasts around the world, killing at least 20 people leaving numerous injured. There is nothing more than I could say on such an unfortunate reality. See it for yourself The reason why I tried not to read the newspaper was this. Newspapers, Internet, Blogs, RSS, TV, Radios every possible communication medium is filled with such reports. And what is it that we can do? The world is killing itself...

Since the last few weeks I've been noticing an unusual traffic congestion between Ayesha Bawani School and Regent Plaza - shortly ahead I find a water tanker in the right most lane causing the traffic to divert into the remaining two lanes. What it was doing there is watering the green plants on the footpath to keep the city green. The speed of the tanker was not more than 2.5 km/h. Its 10:30 AM, its rush hour and they are caring well enough to focus on the plants rather than on the traffic problem. I agree that this is the best time to water the plants (photosynthetically), but nothing will change if they do it after 11:30. The traffic at that time is a bit lighter. I appreciate how much they are doing for the city, but at the same time, I feel sad for how less brains are being used while doing anything around here...

Groping and verbal harassment is an exasperating reality for women using public transportation in this sprawling capital, where 22 million passengers cram onto subways and buses each day. Some men treat women so badly that the subway system has long had ladies-only cars during rush hour, with police segregating the sexes on the platforms. But that hasn't helped women forced to rely on packed buses, by far the city's most-used form of public transportation — until this week. Acting on complaints from women's groups, the city rolled out "ladies only" buses, complete with pink signs in the windshields to wave off the men. Read More... According to the report above, the Mexican's have taken action towards the most prevailing yet largely undisclosed fact of Women harassments throughout the world, by assigning separate mens' and women's buses. Karachi being a Muslim country, it is very sad that the same sort of mentality exists here, to whom the respect of

I've noticed a depression in Karsaz bridge, it was pretty tough to take a proper image while driving, but i got a bit luck in capturing what was to be shown. In the picture, at the left most side you can see the almost two inch difference in the level of concrete railing. I think there should be something done about this and pretty soon. We don't want to end up like some events from the recent past. if it isn't noted already by the authorities than it should be notified asap. if there is nothing to worry about than the government should release a report on its structural quality.

These are the pictures form my camera, what it tell you need no words. This is an incident of which I do not know much details about. I took these pictures when I was on my way to the office in the morning, its on the road from "Kashif Center" towards "Cantt Station". I don't know what happened and how it happened, but what is left is no good! So my advice to you people is just the same, we have heard it a million times but hear it once again DRIVE SAFE PLEASE!

In regards to my previous post about ROLL INN - let me make it clear that I in no way trying to market the shop and/or nor do I have any relative there. I say this because an interesting thing happened today! I got a call earlier this morning and the guy on the other end said "Roll Inn se baat kar rahay hein" :S I got that in the first place that he may have searched it on Google and it popped up my blog. The interesting part was that the guy didn't even read the blog before calling, he sees a number at the right side and bam! makes a call! I asked him if he read what was written on the blog or not he said "nahin ge mein ne parha warha nahin"! Guys what can I say, just that please read it before calling...

The only place in Karachi -in my opinion at least- to get the best chicken cheese rolls is ROLL INN -boat basin, Clifton. This place is so popular, and probably the rolls so delicious that their rolls have become the center of attraction, or more accurately speaking -have literally blinded the curtomers of any other drawbacks in the place! I bumped into a boy from my own neighborhood back in Gulshan-e-Iqbal. I asked him what are you doing here with your buddies, he replied that he was there to eat the rolls! I've gathered some pictures of the place while I was there myself waiting for the "waiter". Finally the waiter arrives and hands over the menu, after deciding what to eat me and my friends moved to the drinks section, guess what! they had "Letter" bottles of soft drinks being printed on the menu! Guess they have put a lot of thought when having those menus printed! Let me explain the magic of these super rolls! This place is so damn small that it can barely