The unsettling of Karachi City Govt.

PPP has done everything to force MQM out. But as MQM wallas are as big a ghundas as PPP wallas are, the only man suffering is the common man. You and me. The recent spate in killings across much of old Karachi since last four days is a clear indication of what PPP wanted and what MQM can do back here in the city. President Zardari may be the richest man in the country and he may be the husband of a dead former Prime Minister. But Altaf Hussain is no chai walla. He is fully capable of extreme violence, when there is a need to be. And somehow many of Karachi's down-trodden and even rich support MQM and him. They reason that Altaf looks and acts much better than Zardari. On any given day it is Zardari who can count on much worse press than Altaf bhai.

But what is the point of killing and maiming over 60 people, 10 of them, when British delegation was in the city? What exactly is the point here?

The burning of over 3000 shops could not conclusively prove that MQM was behind the carnage. Police and Rangers were the culprits. And this goes back to Federal Govt. aka Zardari the President. Over 60 were killed, most of them Shia mourners. And then the rampage began in earnest, as if directed by a Hollywood director.

Nothing proves nothing has been a dictum now-a-days in Karachi. Hundreds dead and thousands have lost their jobs. Yet no conclusion has been arrived at. The only conclusion is that neither MQM nor PPP wants to leave Karachi alone. Hell with the general public. They want their powers in Pakistan's biggest commercial city. And PPP appears to be lagging far far behind. So much so that someone from President's office had to 'immediately' call Altaf Bhai in London to 'please stop bloodshed'.

Such is his power string from London. Who, then, may be supporting this loner from UK? Your guess is as good as mine!

Eid Mubarak

Should we help Kashmir free itself?

Kashmir has haunted Muslims of India and Pakistan since long. Everyone you talk to in Pakistan feels a special heart beat for Kashmir no matter whether the person concerned has ever travelled to the land itself or not. In India, talking about Kashmir may be dangerous for a Muslim. But when those Muslims are here some of them free up and talk about it; others ignore the issue fearing certain consequences.

But Kashmir remains the core issue whether we like it or not and no matter what Indians call it. And now Indian side of Kashmir is on fire. This fire is much different from previous ones. Since 1989, Pakistan supported Mujahideens crossed LOC and attacked Indian soldiers to help free Kashmir. Kashmiri Muslims, being mild-mannered and educated, never really associated themselves with these foereign Mujahids. Therefore, the insurgency was only on the face and as a result Indian army got free hand to rape and kill Muslims at will. And off course most of the Muslims killed used to be Kashmiri Muslims and not the LOC crossers.

This time around insurgency and a voice for freedom is totally indigenous. The shout for freedom is coming from the homes and hearts of Kashmiris themselves. And the cause is a huge blunder of Indian govt. which alloted big and precious land to Hindu militant group (RSS type men). These Hindu extremists have been instrumental in killing over 3000 men and women in 2002 in Gujerat. These same people were responsible for killing Muslims and looting their property during riots in Bombay early in 1990s. Now, if these Hindus are firmly installed, in the name of Temple, in the heart of Kashmir, surely there is an issue which needs to be solved either by vote or by gun. Muslims have sensed that Hindu extremist group won't go away peacefully so they need to be pushed out. And the result is obvious: cry for freedom from Hindu yoke.

Should Pakistan support Kashmiri Muslims at such a crucial time in their freedom struggle?

First, the issues.

India is clearly supporting BLA, a terrorist organization which gets funding through Kabul. Many weapons originating in India have been caught by our army but no concrete action has ever been taken against them due to political reasons. India is clearly enjoying this. And Baluchistan celebrated India's independece this year; they held black day on 14th August. What a shame? Should we support Kashmiri Muslims by arming them so that they may be well equiped to blow up Indian defences and speed up freedom?

This year, in a fit of irony, Kashmiri Muslims (Indian side) overwhemingly celebrated 14th August as independece; 15th August was a black day!

We can arm Kashmiri Muslims across LOC through Kashmiris back home. We can send in ammunitions and maps of installations of Indian army at various crucial routes which joins larger Kashmir to mainland India. By doing this we can atleast cut out Indian Army travel route(s) during winter season and it would be really difficult for Indians to make a come back. But in a world where both countries are nuclear-armed, is this really feasible?

Answer, sadly, is no. We cannot do this openly. Satellites are watching our every moment and USA want a weak Pakistan not a country which adds up Occupied Kashmir as an added entity. And India won't be leaving Kashmir for all the wealth of this world. It is not only strategic location of Kashmir which India wants but its glacial waters. You can't do away with waters when rains are increasingly getting nasty or rusty.

Another option is to wait and see. Zardari told our journalists that they will hear something good on Kashmir. Benazir said a similar thing when she was PM. So no one takes these husband-wife team seriously on Kashmir. In fact, India is now such a powerful country that no one really thinks Pakistani politicians can do anything on the issue except covertly supporting the freedom movement there. And they won't drop their political mileage in Washington for Kashmir.

Another basic issue with freedom of Occupied Kashmir is that once that portion of Kashmir gets freedom Kasmiris this side of the border will start chanting for freedom. A common idea about Kashmiris in Pakistan is that they are not the type whom you can trust easily. Similar things are said about Punjabis and one can find hoardes of people from all walks of life saying exactly the same mantra. Therefore, intellectuals think it is not the best of times for Occupied Kashmir to get un-occupied. And we can just watch India and their Hindu Right Wing lobby.

Other option is total mess of the entire region. We can go for a war which will cost God-knows-what but we will ensure that finally India's attention would be diverted from Baluchistan to Kashmir. We will hopefully save our largest province without much ado.

Sea View, Karachi

Karachi's sea front may not be the most environment friendly items on a traveller's list. But it surely is one of the finest place to enjoy life, to render thoughts in the oxygen; people come here to either remember their good times or forget their bad ones. Some do it by writing poetry, talking to themselves, crying, maybe smiling, others jump around and over such drains. Sea view, as it is called locally, is perhaps one of the last places in the city where rich and poor, Punjabi and Sindhi (and everyone else), policeman and lawyer come together to see the world through their own eyes. Senses here are fizzled out, if only for a moment; a breeze here is an ever-lasting joy.

More photographs here

Musharraf's legacy and a broken republic

Musharraf is out but he has left Pakistan in a mess which would not leave us easily - or at all. It is clear Musharraf wasn't in power all the time and that Americans forced him to go naked on many things. For one, Americans used him to use our army against our own people. And we can see what may be achieved when you start killing your own sisters and daughters and young men after calling them localized terrorists.

He has left a legacy which is absolute and has left Pakistan with deep scars. CIA men and Israelis would be glad to know that Pakistan is weaker, and not stronger, after Musharraf. In fact, every successive government has left Pakistan weaker at the core. Now, young generation is not thinking of staying back in the country; everyone wants to leave at any cost and people can swear by God that Pakistan is lost. That is the charm of long-term US planning of the region. They wanted to leave a total mess in the region and with the help of Musharraf and so-called Pakistani Taliban, ably funded by US-led CIA and Afghan puppet govt., the entire region from Swat to the borders of Russia and in the south towards Iran, the entire area is just too dangerous in any and every sense of the word. Next step, if Americans get yet another Musharraf look-alike would be to create ultimate chaos in Iran, and the Muslim states of former Russia. Off course Russians aren't happy and are looking over their shoulder for any suspicious movement behind their backs.

It is also a part of US Think Tank planning structure to divide the entire region in manageable, smaller chunks of land (instead of big countries as they are presently) and rule over their resources. It is a return to old colonial mind-set and every move in that direction is emphatically termed as a victory for democracy (sic).

Musharraf has also left another legacy, that of hate towards Pakistan Army. Many Pakistanis, especially those who have a religious bent, favour in some sense destruction of the power of our army. That is the most dangerous thing and Musharraf successfully helped Americans achieve that target in a very short period of time. Constant bombings of madrassahs and masjids has caused this sense of anger and revenge. Just imagine what would happen to a country whose people are against its own army? It is a terrible thought, one that would have long lasting effects on the country.

Musharraf, for all his faults, atleast got some able men and women for the job. We know that many foolish army men were appointed at civilian posts (like SUPARCO's chief, KPT chief, etc...) but he still managed to get some good work going. For instance, his work along with MQM in Karachi is commendable. They joined his ranks and were amply rewarded lucarative contracts some of which led to some of the finest road projects in the country. In earlier times, Nawaz Sharif with his typical Punjabi mind-set had totally ignored Karachi causing massive capital flight from the city in his second term in office. (And this was one major reason why Musharraf was so much despised by the Punjabi Bureaucracy; he was an Urdu speaking General). Musharraf will be surely remembered for all these roads for which Centre provided fast funds to Mr. Mustafa Kamal, the ever-present and ever-talking MQM-appointed Nazim-e-Karachi.

Other legacy of Musharraf is ultimate insecurity. Before Musharraf travelling cross country was far easier and less hazardous. Now, that has unfortunately changed much to the chagrin of travellers like myself. FATA is off-limits so is much of Swat valley. Now, much of Baluchistan (in fact all of Baluchistan for Punjabi speakers) is also off-limits and may only go there with life in total danger of being destroyed at the earliest. We constantly recieve reports about daylight murders and it appears to me that India is finally catching up and providing arms and training and maybe satellite support to BLA, a terrorist outfit which wants Baluchistan hacked away from Pakistan. (This strategy of India's RAW is due to our support for Mujahedding whom we allowed easy access to Indian-side of Kashmir. Now, thankfully, Kashmiri muslims are fighting a peaceful battle against Hindu kingdom).

Musharraf will also be remembered for a press which is mainly bonkers. Take GEO for instance. It is free, alright, but in a FOX style. It reports things which are at best useless or dangerous for the country. And it closely follows the tradition of CNN where selective reporting is used. It hides lots of things and dares not speak against the atrocities committed by MQM goans. (Now, PPP goans are proving that MQM was a child play 2). But despite its many set-backs Musharraf can claim that he was much better than all the previous leaders combined in terms of freedom of expression. He allowed press to abuse him, to scrutinize him, and to challenge him. Let us see if Zardari would do the same.

Overall, Musharraf has been a good leader in his first four years and then started to drift away in egoistic behaviour and lack of common sense. He could have done lot of good things for us like not kicking out CJ and his party, not bringing Zardari and his ilk back; he could have also opened cases against land mafia and could have eased the business issues of our business community. Unfortunately, he failed in many respects and Kashmir being one of them. He will be mainly remembered as yet another dictator but will surely come out better than the likes of Zardari and Nawaz Sharif.

American Boy: Asif Ali Zardari

Zardari is a wonderful player. No one really imagined, not Mr. Nawaz Sharif, that Zardari would turn out to be such a deft player with so many trump cards. He is not only playing with Nawaz or other likewise politicians, he is certainly playing with the entire nation. And till now he is winning. And that's bad news for all of us.

Zardari is now touted as the most powerful president of the country. This may not be yet true. For me, Gen. Musharraf was a more powerful, but less revengeful, president. And he certainly held sway over Pak army. Zardari is being looked with increasing suspicion by the generals in uniform. Till now he has done nothing to merit their displeasure or his ouster.

Lot of people think that Zardari is Mr. 10% (my uncle comments that now that he is the President of a god-forsaken country, he is likely to be Mr. 110%). Being 10% is not good especially when businessmen are sure that Mr. Zardari has been responsible for spate of kidnap-for-ransom. That looks pretty bad for a president. He has also spent over 9 years in Pakistani prison(s) for which he must have suffered a lot of mental displeasure. Most of those cases remain cases only. None of them have ever been proved by any court in the country. And the cases in Swiss court were swiftly withdrawn by then President, Musharraf. (Musharraf, while playing golf, would rethink his stupidity).

Writing in Guardian newspaper, Mr. Peter Preston has this to say on the present situation of the country and about Zardari's outcome:

'Yet the Taliban, whom the generals must defeat to get America's billions, are much more than a gang of terrorist thugs. They are also a madcap reform movement of young men disgusted by corruption and the godless wheeler-dealers they think have drained the purity out of Jinnah's "pure state", and the success they're experiencing in the borderlands and beyond shows that many ordinary Pakistanis agree with them. It's a battle for hearts and minds and, on his record, Asif Ali Zardari is the predestined loser of last resort.'

This is one more problem with Zardari: he is often referred to as the husband of Benazir Bhutto. Zardari has already shown the door, by not appointing any good friends of BB, to the loyalists of BB. He has also clearly noted distinction b/w friends and friends of BB. Zardari has another more serious problem. He is clearly seen as an American boy back in the country and that most Pakistanis don't approve of him.

Tariq Ali, leading writer on politics of the region and history, has this to say on Zardari in his article, published in Guardian on 7th Sep, 2008:

'Zardari fitted the bill. He is perfectly suited to being a total creature of Washington. The Swiss government helpfully decided to release millions of dollars from Zardari's bank accounts that had, till now, been frozen due to the pending corruption cases. Like his late wife, Zardari, too, is now being laundered, just like the money he made when last in office as minister for investment. This weakness will make him a pliant president of Pakistan.'

If Zardari wishes to survive as the President of the country, he needs to take some really drastic steps. First, he should immediately get deposed CJ back to office. Secondly, he must get a negotiated settlement with the militants of Swat and FATA region. (We know for sure that most of these militants are trained in Afghanistan and funded ably by US CIA and India's RAW. Same is the case with BLA of Baluchistan). Zardari must also secure Pakistan's border and shoot down any militant crossing into Pakistan or from it. For this, he needs active support from Pakistan Army.

My prediction: Zardari will do US bidding with total dis-regard for the safety of the country. He wishes to throw the country in total chaos and will be instrumental in the future break-up of this country.

Altaf Hussain as a CNG Rickshaw driver…

I was thinking what would become of Karachi and the green CNG rickshaws, (legacy of debunked General & President Musharraf) if Altaf Hussain, Pir of London, Imam of Mohajirs of Karachi, were to suddenly transform from being a leader of MQM into an erstwhile rickshawala.

First, he won’t get any license. PPP wants all Sindhis, mostly un-educated and belonging to interior, to do everything. From sweepers to customs officers at port, to PIA’s various GMs, and the President of the god-damn country.

If in case he gets the license, he will do lot of things.

For one, he will not allow CNG rickshaw to remain green for ever. He will turn it into red blood with various slogans and his huge portraits, made white using extra box of talcum powder.

Non-Mohajirs won’t be allowed to sit in his CNG rickshaw. He will only allow Mohajirs to sit behind him (he likes everyone behind him!) He will also not use the traditional peep peep horn. In fact, he will use mulla-style speakers and blare MQM-zindabad slogans as he weaves his way across the city. His CNG Rickshaw will also not look like a CNG Rockshaw but more like a donkey fitted rickshaw. (Most of his party looks like a bunch of donkeys). And his CNG rickshaw will not climb the many idiosyncratic flyovers his assistant, Mr. Mustafa Kamal, has built around the city. So he being Altaf Hussain will flatten most of them much to the determinant of the city and its exploding population.

Altaf Hussain being Altaf Hussain will also not allow Pushtun-run buses to ply the city without harassing them. He will make sure that his red-blood CNG Rickshaw is always parked in front of their mini-buses. He will also try and poke Pushtuns and will try and provoke them. This will cause massive blood-shed in the city and Altaf Hussain being Altaf Hussain would ask all Mohajirs to carry arms so that they may protect themselves from the ‘terrorists’ Pushtuns. Thereafter, all CNG Rickshaws would be snatched at gun-point and other points from other drivers, painted red, with MQM flags installed and Altaf bhai portraits flashing with dark face and elephant white teeth. Then all these red-painted rickshaws will move behind Altaf Bhai’s rickshaw and will stop whenever he gives his comic speech to the millions of bhais and sisters of the city. (Meri behnoon tumhara kia, mein janoon mera Rickshaw janay).

Altaf Hussain is requested to remain in London and die there and not become the CNG Rickshaw driver in the city of Quaid-e-Azam. We can do without Altaf bhai riding the red-blood rickshaw. God Willing.

Dawat-e-Islami

Dawat-e-Islami is a Karachi-based Non-political, non-violent, Islamic tanzeem (organization) which has its head quarters at Old Sabzi Mandi. As little is known about its work or its people, I feel that I should introduce it to the people of Karachi. At most people know that they wear green turbans are often referred to as Janati Totay (Parrots from Heaven). Many people also claim that they are not spreading true word of Islam. We won’t go into the merits and de-merits of what True Islam or False Islam is. Here, I would just give a brief on their activities.

Dawat-e-Islami was founded in the early 80s by Mualana Ilyas Atar Qadri. He started wearing green turban out of the love of Prophet’s Tomb (PBUH) which is also green in colour. He also asked fellow Muslims to wear Turban as a measure of love. It must be noted that our Prophet has also has worn green coloured turban (evidence: Green turban associated with him is at Badshahi masjid museum).

Dawat-e-Islami believes in strict code of conduct for its adherents. It wishes to see people praying on proper time, paying their zakat, and all the Islamic injunctions that are part of our collective heritage (and tradition). It also feels that the moral backwardness of the Muslim Ummah is due the lack of following of the tradition of tolerance, positive thinking, obeying commands of parents, and respecting elders as well as young ones.

Dawat-e-Islami is presently working in over 60 countries and they regularly send out Madni Kaflas (their internal term for groups of people visiting places to spread the message of Islam). Their main points of interaction are South Africa, Dubai, Mozambique, India, and Central Asian states.

People dis-agree with lot of things which Dawat-e-Islami people do. For one, there is a strong disagreement over the Madni Munaas walk on 9th of Rabi-ul-Awal. As these are only very young kids, people say the entire exercise is un-necessary. Another criticism on them is why they wear Green and not white or black turban. Well, every school has its uniform. Why KGS students don’t wear the uniform of St. Michael’s School and vice versa?

People also associate Dawat-e-Islami with Sunni Tehreek, which is a militant form of Ahl-e-Sunnah Jamat and is just like Wahabi-led Sipah Sahaba. Although Dawat-e-Islami is a Sunni group it has no relation with Sunni Tehreek and its founder, Saleem Qadri, actually broke away from the main group to form his own party.

Discussion with Muhammad

Ameer: asalam u alikum
how is life in USA

any better

Muhammad: it is good

University will open from Monday

Ameer: well it is good here as well except for zardari

Muhammad: ha ha ha

Ameer: mush is gone

Muhammad: Zardari has lost all of his credibility

Ameer: but he expects something better

Muhammad: I am surprised. He is the one who will put the PPP to its natural death

Ameer: for one mushi expects the coalition to break down

and kyaini to either take over

or make mushi the king again

but for the hundreds of Baluchis he cannot possibly come

Muhammad: this is hilarious

did mush say that?

Ameer: he did not

but lot of analysts think that way

or else mush is going to go abroad

though he wants to stay here

amid security

his son is in USA
and keeps away from media

Muhammad: I think he should allow to stay in Pakistan

that is a much better punishment

Anyway, I have heard that Zardari is going to be a president.

Ameer: he is

for sure

and no one is stopping him

USA wants the most corrupt person on tip

top

and they can't find any besides him

even Chaudrys look paler

Muhammad: Apparently, he is pursuing mush policies even better.

Ameer: yes

and the militants are ready to trounce

it appears that militants only want to kill military and police and spread choas

they never touch any PPP office

Muhammad: I have a feeling that if he continued that way he might get murdered in a year or two.

Ameer: how is that

???

and they don't wish to kill Zardari

Muhammad: may be by ISI itself

Ameer: maybe India and Afghanistan have told Mehsud, agent of CIA and FBI not to touch our men

it is ISI but most of it is RAW

for sure

i have no doubt

India wants to break pakistan within 2 years

that's my guess

and it certainly wants Sindh and Punjab

atleast Punjab to end Kashmir struggle and let loose Sikh men to rape Muslim women once and for all

I am sure Punjabis wont mind that

after all they are the ones who created this mess

Muhammad: I have watched an interview by Stephen Cohen. He was saying that India wants to weaken the Pakistan as much as possible, but donot want its disintegeration.

Ameer: India would be stupid to think that they can weaken Pakistan but not break it

they want to

Muhammad: so you think that at present Taliban, say Pakistani Taliban, are playing in the hands of RAW.

Ameer: there is no such thing as Pakistani Taliban

they are a bunch of frustrated guys, sexullay and morally, and they want to do something

so they are bombing everything they can

and RAW is clearly enjoying this

after all we supported Kashmiris since 1988

and helped kill lot of Indian soldiers and common Hindus

now it is time to die

you just think on these lines:

schools are bombed daily

Muhammad: You have told me that there are numerious suicide bombers waiting for their turn

Ameer: all important bridges, roads and offices are bombed

Karachi is to be attacked during and after ramazan

dont be surprised if your friends die on Eid Day

that is their plan

there are around 500 of them according to one of my contractors whose house is in Waziristan

ISI knows it

but cant do anything

no orders from the top

they have also blown away SUI gas main pipeline

what the hell

Muhammad: It seems there is no way out at the moment

Ameer: Zardari wishes to take revenge from everyone

so he will help further destruction

at any cost

even at the cost of the country

Muhammad: military action can only yield short term results

Ameer: MQM supports Zardari so that he does not kill them

but he will order mass killings of MQM within 6 months

and USA is playing double policy

they will support MQM with weapons

and they will give PPP weapone

Muhammad: I thought USA is backing MQM

Ameer: and everyone kill everyone else

they are backing both sides

equally

and MQM says we want Pushoons out

Muhammad: I remember this is the plan you told me about a year ago

Ameer: why???

yes now it is time for final implementation India has beefed up security across its borders

Pakistan and Bangladesh and have sent extra army to Kashmir war is on

Muhammad: somebody has said that freedom movement againt sparked in the kashmir itself. That is ISI didn't play any role for this

Ameer: yes, this time ISI really did not do anything in fact, the stupidity of Indian hardliner Hindus did this let me tell you this India is playing the policy of Israel pushed Muslims so much that Muslims got economicall and socially downgraded as citizens of Israel India will follow the same policy to the letter in coming 10 years; and will kill Muslims across; loot their properties, kidnap their most cherished men, rape their women, and would do to make lot of Muslims dis-appear

Muhammad: but this will result in the rise of muslim extremism with in India itself

Ameer: A Muslim writer, Jawed Akhter, could not buy a home in Mumbai and he clearly told media that was because he is a Muslim Indian wants to raise Islamic militancy in India

Muhammad: however, he declare himself non-muslim

Ameer: to get free weapons from USA and Europe

Muhammad: interesting

Ameer: to kill Islamic Facsists as they would then be called

Muhammad: they are perhaps commiting a suicide. In the sense that things do not always work according to your plan. There are so numerious a parameters.what if this extremism become uncontrolled.

Ameer: they think they will kill most muslims and force many others to migrate to what would be left of Pakistan or Bangladesh see their name: HINDUS TAN

well that is a very clear agenda

Muhammad: again this is a too simplistic thought. In India there have been movements like this in the past. Like Shuddi tehreek, sanghattan movements it is the re-emergence of these movements

Ameer: I am not sure but India wishes to act like Americans and Israelis and killing Muslims seems to be the easiest route

Muhammad: that is for sure. Moreover it didn't want to share its region with any of the US or Israel

Muhammad: I guess then that Army has no choice except to launch a major attack on Mehsud or Fazl-Ullah. But they are well trained with gorilla wars which is almost impossible to win, if they also enjoy support from tribesmen

Ameer: they have almost no support from tribesmen because of the army operation in fact ISI can train tribesmen and get these bastards killed

Muhammad: but then they will have to deal with the tribesmen later

Ameer: now that is a problem which can be solved by opening roads and making education common and also by having a stricter control over border with afghanistan

there was a report in DAWN 2 days back that around 6000 afghan men are in Pakistan to fight

Muhammad: this what they should have done when Soviet quits

they are silly people. They should have thought in the entire world their only supporter is Pakistani people. There is a simple rule in the goriall was that you don't let your base camp in trouble. But as we know stupidity knows no bound. Perhaps they are being over-confident.

Ameer: i am not sure what they are thinking

but hearing all those comments from people like Imran Khan and others I feel that all tribesmen think that they are just not beatable

and they imagine that the mountains would save them

they are living in times when that was the case

they need to get out and see the world

Muhammad: This is not much untrue.
Gorilla wars aryou have the support from the people in whicnless you have the support from the people in which you are operating

yes, once Imran Khan said that solution is that make tribesmen your allies. Give them task and support. they will do your jobs. A solution which is very similar to you just told me.

Ameer: what I understand is that lot of tribesmen have nothing to do all day

so they like having guest

fighting over smaller things

enjoying kewa or chai

and keeping their women shut

or producing children

or learning Quran without understanding any thing

so the best way to deal with these rough tough people is to get them doing something all day long

so that they have no time for stupidities

Muhammad: this is our fault too we continued the Bristish policies rather then integerating them to the Pakistani society.

Ameer: we have lot to answer to ourselves and to the people who;ve suffered due to us

Memories of my grandparents…

14th August is just round the corner and we’ve decided to have some of the wonderful memories of partition related here by the authors and commentators. Stories which you have been fed by your grandparents or your parents, who migrated from across the border to begin a new life here in the country made for democracy and equal rights for ALL citizens. Stories my grandparents tell me often, follow:

My grandparents (father side) lived in Bahunagar and then Bombay. My grandfather used to have a tea stall which he used to run along with his elder brother, Ahmed. British army was their regular customer and when they came they came in droves and all the war chat would take place there, albeit in English, a language my grandfather never really understood except for the morsels. He also tells me, whenever in good mood, that Hindu banyas were also his prized customers and they would be very rich and very tidy in their manners and style.

Then they came to Karachi, Pakistan.

Unlike many migrants pouring from India by train or walk or by mules, which was always a dangerous thing to do in those bad times, he and his wife arrived by ship. In those old days, ships b/w Karachi and Bombay were very common and lot of people used to rely on them for trade. Thankfully, it wasn’t disconnected after partition. If I can recall it rightly, it took around 7 days for the ship to reach Karachi and vice versa, and the journey was, as they remember, quite emotional but un-eventful. They off loaded in a city which was far cleaner, more managed, having wonderful, big roads and with lot of joggis around for people pouring in. Karachi was then a port city and it was just that. Further, he tells me with a shine in his eyes that the major thoroughfares would be daily washed clean on the orders of Mr. Jinnah, founder of Pakistan and the resident of this city.

I am also told that Karachi had no fear. People were loving and good-natured; Hindus and Parsis were the major businessmen. They had lots of properties and some really wonderful buildings to their credit. Khojas and Memons were also there but in lower number. As migration forced it way, that number eventually rose (that of Gujerati speaking groups) and lots of Hindus fled Karachi fearing for their lives, just as Muslims were doing from across the border.

I am also told that wide roads, (almost) zero pollution and a sense of new found destiny improved public imagination, which in turn helped people in re-building their lives from the scratch.

As more stories come to mind or are related they shall be uploaded here as comments here. Readers are requested to add their own treasures here.

Vanishing heritage of Karachi

British left too many structures in our city. The main reason is that they loved Karachi for its wide sea and no-nonsense attitude towards life. Already, they’d converted it into a large shipping base for their goods to arrive. Unfortunately, we’ve not been able to preserve lot of those wonderful buildings. And to top it all, corrupt politicians and land mafia has been very busy these days chopping good old buildings.

It is very clear that a nation which needs to understand its past needs to preserve the artifacts and structures from that past. If those are not preserved, there is no way of educating young people about the shared heritage. As a result, today lot of Karachi wallas are simply unaware of their rich heritage. They, at best, know something about KMC head office or maybe Quaid’s house at Kharadar.

Discuss below the ways in which common citizens may help preserve these beautiful and enduring heritage.

Saving the last Mangroves of Karachi

Mangroves are a wonderful being of ALLAH. They are species of plants which thrive in saline waters. Their roots grow best under fertile land and maybe found at places where deltas are formed due to discharge of river (sweet) water into sea waters (saline). They are important for survival of countless land and sea species and hundreds of thousands of men earn their livelihood through them (fishing, cutting trees, making homes, hunting, etc). Therefore, it is imperative that such wonderful and unique species are preserved for the betterment of people and environment. That’s not happening. From the lead organization:

http://casestudies.lead.org/index.php?cscid=143

“In Pakistan, mangroves are found along the southern borders of the country along the coast of Sindh and Balochistan. The Indus Delta extends to an area of approximately 600,000 hectares of which 160,000 consists of mangrove forests. These are unique in the sense that they are considered to be the largest area of arid climate mangroves in the world”.

And, further:

“In the Karachi area, 135,000 people depend on the mangroves for their livelihood. For villages surrounding the forests, the mangroves provide food, fodder and fuel-wood. There are approximately 100,000 people who take a total of 18,000 tonnes of fuel-wood each year from the mangroves (Davis, 1993). In addition, 3,200 buffaloes and 6,000 camels also consume some 67 million kilograms of leaves and 19.5 million kilograms of grass (Qureshi, 1992). Much of Pakistan’s fishing industry relies on the fish found in the mangroves, notably shrimp, which are the principal fisheries export of Pakistan. Of the US$ 100 million that Pakistan earns in fisheries foreign exchange, shrimp accounts for 68 percent (Davis, 1993). Mangroves are also important for recreation purposes with high potential for eco-tourism. The Indus Delta is an important migratory route for millions of waterfowl that need to feed and breed during the winter months. Some 80 species of birds, such as pelicans, flamingoes and herons may be found in the Indus Delta mangroves (IUCN, 1999). Mangrove forests also provide protection to the coastal areas from strong winds and ocean currents. Their vegetation also helps in reducing coastline erosion because the roots collect sediments that flow into the sea from the river.

“Over the past 13 years, the degradation of Pakistan’s mangroves has occurred at the rate of 6 percent per annum. As a result, only 16 percent of Pakistan’s mangroves are thought to be healthy (Qureshi, 1992). The most harmful environmental stress that the mangroves face today derives largely from human activity. The steady growth of a major industrial city within the vicinity, the untreated sewage and industrial discharge, the increase in the demand for fuel wood, overgrazing and over-exploitation of resources are just a few of the strains on the mangrove’s ecosystem. Steel mills, refineries and power stations are some of the large polluting industries found in the area. Tanneries are perhaps the worst. Their untreated effluents, massively loaded with heavy metals, are being disposed daily into the sea, thereby contaminating the food chain. High concentrations of heavy metal such as lead, zinc, copper, nickel, cadmium, mercury and cobalt have recently been recorded in marine biota and sediments (Davis, 1993). They are hazardous and poisonous for all forms of life.”

Is Karachi ready for Osama bin Laden?

Hello folks. Oh sorry. Asalam u Alikum Ya Taliban & Ya Osama bhai and other Jihadis.

MQM chiefs have reportedly informed govt. of Pakistan (aka PPP and lots of coalition partners) that the threat of Talibanization to Karachi looks imminent. Mildly put, it means that we will all be Taliban sporting lot of things you see at National Geographic programs which are on Afghanistan. You will also like to blow up school girls, like Mama Parsi, and other brilliant places of education; you would also like to keep doctors away from your wives (one won’t do); you would also like to throw away your camera as photography is not much appreciated by them (never mind Osama bhai always gives video interviews). You would, if in case we have MQM replaced with Talibans and Al-Qaeda, also have to replace Bhai Altaf’s photographs, posters, and 90 from Karachi. In place of them we would need lots of Osama shots: Osama praying, Osama marrying yet another woman, Osama praying again, Osama tapping suicide bombers, and Osama doing everything else. Lot of printing jobs would be offered, but to those having flourishing beards, amamas (Arabic term for turban), and wives in tow (I think Jamatias will take away all the jobs!)

So, do we need Taliban / Osama bin Laden in Karachi?

One major change which Karachi is likely to see, if that happens, is the destruction of roads. Taliban don’t need much roads. They are hardy mountain people and Osama, an Arab, has now gotten used to tough terrains as well. So, the crazy-ness which our young, happy Nazim shows about building and re-building roads would be gone. As I stated earlier, so would the posters of Altaf bhai pastered with pan peek and niswar decorations. We would also not hear much about road-side muwalis (caste-aways) and charsees (drug addicts); and the wholesale business of Heroin at various Tombs would also go down. Various liquor shops around Karachi, especially at Shahra-e-Faisal and Defence areas, which are really very visible, would also need to shift their business elsewhere, maybe to Lahore. We would also see an end to prostitution which happens openly at Lea Market, Tariq Road and Defence (all phases). We might also see an end to expensive ad campaigns and the stars of Ad agencies and GEO Bhago network would be preaching in masjids called GEO masjids. We might as well see our 25th December replaced with the birth anniversary of Osama’s 33rd child. All in all, it would be fun for some and no fun for many others.

But Osama is not a happy man. He and his Taliban friends like to destroy historical sites (destruction of Bahmian Buddhas built over 100 years and which stood there for over 2000 years), does not like to have Americans and other investors around; he and his Taliban friends also apparently hate games (the execution of prisoners during Taliban time took place in football stadium, Kabul). Osama bhai also does not appear to be a great fan of beaches either. So no night parties anymore.

Oh yes, 90 will surely become 9/11!