Karachi Metblogs

Protest Rally & Demonstration

Raja Islam — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:32:46 +0000

It is to inform you that the leadership of Shiya Ullema Council, Jafferia Alliance and ISO have announced that they will take out a protest rally today at 1600 hrs from Karachi Press Club to Chief Minister House to protest against the bomb blasts during Ashoora and Chehlum at Karachi.

Disruption of traffic is expected on Dr. Zia Uddin Ahmed Road, Club Road and near PIDC house between 1600 to 1800 hrs. Everyone are advised to avoid the above mentioned areas during the stated timing.

Humvee on Super Highway

Raja Islam — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:46:58 +0000

Kia Cheez Hay ?

Raja Islam — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 11:41:36 +0000

I find this billboard very disgraceful way of marketing new products by McDonald. I wonder if the product is either on the right or left :)

Chappals not allowed.

Raheel Lakhani — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:19:48 +0000

Now RR is a club for elite in Defence and no one with chappals are allowed. If you want your drivers to eat at your party for which you have paid yourself, beware they will be asked NOT to enter by the management if they are wearing chappals. On this someone at the party which I attended said, rules are rules and I was like yeah how rude. Finally the hosts managed to get their drivers in but that left me thinking that it is so easy to humiliate others and create class divide. Quaid ka Pakistan – no unity, pride and indiscipline!

The bus from the 1st bomb attack on Sh.faisal

Farrukh Ahmed — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:58:40 +0000

Click the image to enlarge

Another Bomb blast at Jinnah Hospital.

Jamash — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:11:34 +0000

Moments back another bomb blast is reported at the emergency gate of Jinnah Hospita in Karachi. Several casualties expected . reports are still pouring in.

The blast is reported to have been heard several kilometers away .

Latest Update: Dawn News reports that the blast site to be 10 meters away from the hospitals main emergency entrance gate. A Dawn News reported confirms at least fatalities.

Latest Update: The blast took place in the hospital parking lot ten meters away from the emergency entrance, a number of ambulances destroyed. several ambulance drivers have been reported severely injured. Abdul Sattar Edhi reported Dawn News that he narrowly escaped the blast.

Latest Update: One of our author MB reports ” i can see people walking for miles and miles on SF because no one is willing to help them and no public transport is available ”.

Latest Update: Samaa Tv showing a child, telling she saw some policeman taking a television set off a bike, and inspecting it when the television set exploded. the little girl’s two siblings, she says were also at the spot where the blast took place.

Latest Update: 10 people have been reported dead in this blast alone. (Geo Tv)

Moments back another bomb blast is reported at the emergency gate of Jinnah Hospita in Karachi. Several casualties expected . reports are still pouring in.

The blast is reported to have been heard several kilometers away .

Blast at Shahrah-e-Faisal

Jamash — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:29:02 +0000

A bomb has exploded destroying a bus which was taking the people for the central Chehlum Procession around 10-15 minutes ago on Shahrah-e-Faisal, near FTC building – Around 50 to 65 people are reported to have been present in the bus -

Latest: A motorcycle had been reported to have hit the vehicle when the blast occurred. Television reports say at least three fatalities have been confirmed. The blast occurred near Nursery flyover.

Latest: Samaa TV reports 12 fatalities, 30 people injured.

Karachi’s Areeb Iqbal Wins red bull streetstyle competition 2010

Jamash — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 09:18:37 +0000

For the first time Telenor djuice and Redbull had brought the an international Monta ball Freestyle Football competition to Pakistan bringing out the best of our countries freestyles, sixteen of them from Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi who finally battled for the top position here in Karachi, a few days back, on the 31st of January at Forum Karachi.

To enjoy the event a number of Monta ball freestyles, fans and enthusiasts and TV celebrates attended the event. I saw a lot of young people who were not even competing were also their showing their talent.

The event concluded announcing Karachi’s Areeb Iqbal being the winner who would be flying to Cape Town, South Africa to represent Pakistan at the World Finals of Red Bull Street Style.

Areeb has already made us proud by placing his entry into an international competition to represent Pakistan, it would be really great if he comes back home a winner, so lets hope and pray he does .. :)

Image credits: Dawn.com ( Photographer: Fahad Peracha ).

Fifty Fifty – Nothing has changed in 25 years

MB — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 08:21:09 +0000

I have a FIFTY-FIFTY collection and at times i watch it and wonder if our issues have changed during 25 years. Not a single issue highlighted then saw a day of solution as we entered 2010. Even more added to bucket. Our leadership has failed miserably in every domain. They are not only incapable of handling our problems but are oblivious at first place and too corrupt for any good expectations. A recent headline and a 50-50 clip along:

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Tariq Road – Once at the fore, but not anymore?

SwERveUT — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 19:13:22 +0000

What is the ultimate Karachi shopping experience? Some say Park Towers…. No. The Forum? Not really. Those places are too small to be worthy of being named the “Ultimate”. Once upon a time however, it used to be the Saddar area. Most especially, the Elphinstone Street (current Zaib-un-Nissa street) where you would find most upmarket and good shopping outlets in Karachi. But that was also the days of yore. For our current day and the recent past, the reigning position has consistently been occupied by the Tariq Road. This has most definitely been a go-to place for all sorts of families and all sorts of people to buy all sorts of things apparel related. For easily about two decades Tariq road has occupied the top spot on the Karachi shopping scene. And very rightly so. It is a bazaar-cum-market-cum-mall where you can find the best deals, the best bargains, the most variety and the most seasoned material. Could you say its Karachi’s Oxford Street or İstiklal Avenue? ummmm……

Nah, I wouldn’t really say that. Its much too dirty and overcrowded to be compared to elegant places like those. If I get any foreign visitors, I will definitely keep them the hell away from Tariq Road. So why has it really become like that? I remember when I was young, the name Tariq road used to bring to mind images of a very lively shopping scene. Now when I think of it, I only think of horrible traffic jams, broken roads, pollution, noise, and wayy too many people with nowhere to move.

And garbage on the medians?

I think our city government really forgot about this golden road. Oft trodden, but now forgotten. In the span of the past few years, the CDGK has carried out remarkable development activity in Karachi – something no other government could ever achieve – however it really needs to be reminded about the plight of this road before the current setup gets brushed aside and somebody incompetent ends up taking its place. There is much to be fixed here, and some of it can easily be done. However once done, it will make the shopping experience at Tariq road something to talk about once again. Here are a few suggested improvements:

Re-carpet the entire stretch of the road. The current road condition is very grating. The older carpeting had been greatly destroyed. There are holes, rubbly stretches, places to test your off-roading skills etc. all to be found in close vicinity of each other. Re-carpeting will make the road more drivable, pleasant, and will ease the traffic jams a little. And no, patch fixing will not help.
Make proper high sidewalks on both sides of the road, and repair the median. This is essential as both are broken beyond recognition, and both are in urgent need of repair. In the case of sidewalks, I think it would be almost a first time construction other than the sidewalks created by the mall builders themselves.
Build big parking plazas on the back streets of every block, and prohibit parking on the main road. Now this is a very lofty aim and I think it will not be accomplished easily – if ever. It must also be made obligatory for every new building / mall to construct underground or above ground parking floors to accomodate the amount of cars they aim to attract. For shopkeepers and shoppers alike. They should be allowed to charge for it so they can recover their building expenses.

Chaos theory originated here.

Make lots of pedestrian bridges along the whole stretch of the road, 2-3 per block, and screen off pedestrian use of the main road using decorated iron grills.
Make sidewalk zones where street vendors can display their wares easily and away from obstruction. However, the street vendors should be allowed to stay at Tariq road to maintain its ambience.
Have a proper garbage collection system set up. (— well actually all of Karachi would benefit from that).

Now I may be dreaming here with making all these extraordinarily wonderful suggestions, however due to the excellent performance of CDGK over the past few years, I am pretty sure it can accomplish this if it sets its mind on the task. Maybe send a link to Mustafa Kamal? I am sure however, that once this work is accomplished, this street will once again be able to regain the reigns of the Karachi shopping experience.

Say what?