Chowrangi

Living in Karachi is a great feat, not recommended for the faint of heart. A typical day consists of crazy traffic jams, inflation, hyper-tension and loadshedding. Not to mention the threat of being robbed of your ride, wallet or cellphone, in broad daylight. Karachities usually take this in their stride, laughing off their miseries, and joking after being deprived of their valuables.

However, some days in Karachi are so dark and bleak, the usual mantra of “Sab Theek Hay” cease to work. There is chaos on the streets, distress in the air and confusion in hearts and minds as if a curse is invoked on the land. We can not forget May 12, December 27 and most recently, the Ashura Blast.

Yesterday happened to be one such day when travelling towards Korangi Creek through KPT Interchange, I came to know that the road from the Interchange till Korangi Crossing is jammed with vehicles. While the reason was not clear, there were rumors of some mishap happened ahead. I did a U-Turn, tried to enter through Korangi Industrial Area and found the road blocked by protesters. There was insane traffic jam all around as people were in panic mode, traffic police was nowhere and traffic lights were dead. It took me more than 3 hours to cover the distance which is of 50 minutes in usual circumstances. Later I found that a political activist was killed at Korangi Crossing and firing incident happened at Mehran Town near the Industrial Area, causing all the chaos.

Reaching back home, and reflecting on what I went through earlier in the day, I realized that there is no writ of state in Karachi, especially at the time of emergency. The police, usually busy in acts of extortion, fled the scene when they are needed by the public. Few armed men can take the city hostage, looting and burning whatever and wherever they want. Government will come later to condemn the “acts of terror” and to offer compensation money, limited only to announcements.

I wonder if this government is really worthy of our taxes, our support and our votes? I also wonder if Karachi is still safe to live and work in? Or has Karachi gone to dogs?

Other posts by Kashif Aziz

• Taliban of Punjab Police - March 3rd, 2010
• Chile Earthquake, Hawaii Tsunami and Social Media - February 28th, 2010
• President Zardari apologized for childbirth in rickshaw - February 26th, 2010
• Reason of Traffic Jams in Karachi - February 19th, 2010
• Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Top Most Taliban Leader Caught in Karachi - February 16th, 2010
• PTCL Launches Largest Data Center of Pakistan - February 15th, 2010
• Reflections On Twin Blasts in Karachi - February 6th, 2010
• Aafia Siddiqui convicted, may be sentenced for 60 years - February 4th, 2010
• Dawn News going down the Drain? - January 30th, 2010
• Earthquake devastated Haiti need our help - January 17th, 2010