Karachi Voice

Beautiful Pictures of Karachi

2009-07-16T17:53:00.000+06:00

Help an Orphan Girl Get Married

2009-06-24T03:48:00.001+06:00

Hello All,

Here is the complete situation.

In my last email I explained the situation of an orphan girl getting married and Rs. 80,000 required for her marriage. I am very thankfull for the possitive replies I get from many of you.

In last Ramadan I told you all about a fruit seller that he is in a loan and with all your supprt 70% of his loan is now paid off. The remaining amount is Rs. 40,000.

So a total of Rs. 1,20,000 is required for both above mentioned things, and a good collection have been done too. Please help from even Rs. 100 in this good work as it will be repaid to us from Allah with a great deal of profit in this life and the next life.

Thanks for the support. Again I assure you all that I know these people personally and will handover the money to them with my own hands under full responsibility that your money will be used for the task I have mentioned. I know there are a lot of frauds but I have personally researched about these people. There a lot of people who are in need of money for grocery, rents and children every month. If you want to pay them some thing monthly you can contact me.

To pay you can use my account number and here are the deatils
Best regards,
Farrukh Malik

If you are planning to donate anything please reply back on the blog. I will contact you personally and will have you meet / Contact Directly with the person whose email this is. I know him personally.

Pizza Hut slicing the "pizza" from its name and will now be known as "The Hut"

2009-06-20T04:30:00.001+06:00

Blame recession cuts. Pizza Hut is reportedly slicing the "pizza" from its name. The fast food chain will now be known simply as "The Hut."
The chain, which has recently expanded its menu beyond pizza to include pasta, could not immediately be reached for comment Friday. Media and advertising trade publication MediaWeek characterized the name change as an attempt to transform its stores into hip hangouts. There are more than 10,000 Pizza Huts worldwide.
The new "hut" stores will be more than simply places to place a delivery order, according to MediaWeek. They will include televisions that broadcast CBS programs such as "Wheel of Fortune" and "Entertainment Tonight."

The company has tried to become more hip and youth friendly in recent months. In April, it introduced the Pizza Hut "Twintern," an employee who uses the online service Twitter to update customers about store events and pop culture news.
This isn't the first time for Pizza Hut-parent Yum Brands to change the name of one of their iconic restautant chains, which include KFC and Taco Bell restaurants. In 1991, the company rebranded Kentucky Fried Chicken as KFC. Recently, to highlight the company's healthier grilled chicken offerings, the company has referred to the KFC brand as KGC.
In other news related to YUM, two California residents are reportedly suing the company's KFC chain for failing to give them a free grilled chicken sandwich. The customers are claiming that a sandwich giveaway promoted by Oprah was a "bait and switch" scheme aimed at getting folks in the door to buy other menu items, according to the Associated Press. KFC's were overwhelmed by demand for the sandwiches with lines often stretching out the door of shops.

Source

I wonder when this is going to happen in Karachi!

CAUTION!

2009-06-04T20:09:00.001+06:00

CAUTION!

DRIVER ASLEEP!

Interesting note on the back of a car :)

Karachi: Lots of Problems - Just One Solution. Train The Masses on the road!

2009-05-07T04:14:00.001+06:00

I've been noticing traffic in Karachi for a long time now, and I think there is one solution "proper traffic laws" that can improve the situation of almost all over Karachi by training its people collectively.

My though is that by implementing the law on the road, masses can be trained and when masses are trained the whole society improves. So here is my theory... I'm sharing these thoughts with you so that we can somehow make it work.

OBSERVATIONS:
A couple of my observations about Karachi Traffic are

There are lanes, but no concept of lanes.
There are speed limits, but there is never any limit to speed.
There are three lights of signals, but only recognizable signal is the beamer from the on coming vehicle.
There are left turns and there right turns, but most preferred are the "inappropriate turns".
Going "wrong way" is the right way of driving.
Use the indicators when done switching lanes or turning
Honking is just like warm greetings, the more you honk the pleasant it will be considered.
Any empty space is called "parking", and "No Parking" means "You can park here for just five minutes"
Those dudes in white uniforms are the most expensive "beggars" in town.
Ignore the in-laws as much possible, but ignore the "law" - that's a must.

The above problems are not just on the roads, it stems from the common psychology. It starts from the brain and come out as decisions which later becomes a norm when it is collectively executed. Following are my observations on what in-the-head factors lead to the above mentioned "decisions".

Lanes: Ignorance and lack of realization for why these cat-eyes are installed. They are taken as just bright shiny things on the roads which looks so cool!! People tend not to accept that the lanes are supposed to keep the driver inside his boundaries of appropriate road decorum. Let me tell you a funny story, I asked a friend of mine while sitting in his car that why are you driving ON the lane and the cat-eyes are in the center of your car. He said, it feels good, its almost as if playing Pacman! I mean that's ridicules!
Speed: They seem to not realize that the faster you drive the quicker you reach death! Accidents at the high speeds can squish your body like a cockroach under your boots. Not just yourself, but someone else on the road as well. Hence it can be titled as no respect for human life or humanity.
Signals: This is called the educated illiteracy! Red is to stop, yellow is for caution and green is to go! But no, lets just look if there is someone ahead then we'll stop if not then just keep going. They fail to realize that at the speed of 60-80 km/h it will take milliseconds for the other object to appear in front of your car and in a fraction of seconds, even before your head sends the signals to your legs to apply breaks, you're either gotten killed or have killed.
Turns: When I am driving at a speed of 120 km/h in the right-most lane and I know I want to take a left turn just ahead, I will wait for the last minute to make my turn without using indicators and make an abrupt turn cutting the path of all the two lanes on my left. Because I don't care about anyone else! So what if the person next in lane had to suddenly apply breaks and so what if the 5 or 10 cars bump into each other, one after the other. Who cares I got my way! This is called total disregard for other people and surroundings.
Wrong Way: Narrow mindedness! Why in the world would the government seal this turn so that I have to go all the way through there to get here!. I will not realize that it is for the benefit of all of us on the road and going a few meters ahead won't bankrupt me for fuel usage! and I might just end up on an open road. But no! I'm going to go the wrong way, my headlights won't work, I am on a two-wheeler with my wife and 5 kids. The hell with them! I'm saving time and money!
No indicators: Clumsiness and laziness! I'll just turn and if the person whose path I'm intersecting, is bothered, he'll just honk, if he honks then I'll think about using the indicators if not then ... aaanh!
Honking: Misbehaving, self importance and impatience! I will shout on the person who is in front of me because that's just who I am. I'm walking and if someone is already walking in front of me then I'll just yell at him till he moves his butt out of my way. Because I am special and I am the king of the world - rest of them are just tiny stinky rats.
Parking: No sense at all- Nonsense people! Hey! I see an empty space by the footpath, lets park here. 3 hours later: a very angry man is waiting, frustrated about the fact that he couldn't get his car out on the road because someone parked behind his car... Then I'll go like: Oh sorry I didn't notice your car. Or may be I find myself with shattered windows of my car and a nice big dent on the side. Because I did not look around before I decided to park. OR I may not find my car there at all because I parked in a NO PARKING spot. I'll go to the station, I won't pay and I will argue that I parked there just for 2 minutes. Then I'll try to bribe the cop by taking him in the corner or offer him some "chai pani"
Traffic Police: Corruption! This is the fault of all, the traffic agents, the drivers and the traffic police department. They don't pay enough and expect a man to stand and implement "law and order" on the road all day and all night... He in turns need a break and the money... So when he pulls someone over and he is offered something that goes directly in his own pocket...why would he refuse to take it!? Because who knows who he stops next, shows him a card of some DSP, ISP, any Goddamn major, general... and he will have to say "sorry sir, app ko paraishan kiya"
Law: I am above the law! This is the mentality that has been prevailing here since a long time. Having the ability to change or alter or differ from anything that the law has set, is actually considered as "powerful" and is a sign of "status". Having a custom-made number plate no number plate at all, is "cool".

THE IDEOLOGY:
By implementing the proper law on the roads just doesn't make the traffic better, it also train the human brain to not make a decision to do all the 10 things mentioned above. So my point is, what is a better way to train the masses to not be narrow minded - for example? What is a better way to train the masses to be more considerate about others, their lives and the lives of others? Is there any better way to teach the common person that he is not above the law?

I do not know the exact number of people who come on the road every day, but my guess would be at least 80-90 percent. There is no age limit to this, every one from ~13 years till 90 years is on the road one way or the other. There is no better way to train all of them at the same time in a better way than to teach them on the roads.

Just by implementing the law and order on the road you can...

eliminate ignorance and lack of realization
bring respect for human life or humanity
cure the educated-illiteracy factor
reduce the disregard for other people and surroundings
broaden narrow-mindedness
rectify clumsiness and laziness
treat misbehavior, self importance and impatience
promote common sense
fight corruption
erase "I am above the Law" psychology

THE SOLUTION
The solution is very very simple. We have to see who implements the law and order, those are the white cops. So what can make the white cops be honest? Apart from the change in upper management, there is something that can be done in the way these people are paid. For that, the government has to play its part. I can tell what the government has to do, which, in my opinion is not that hard to do and that "could" be a win win situation.

The solution lies in regular salary + commission. Just like our sales people, they get commission on a specific number of customers. The same way, if the cops are given commission on how many "valid tickets" he generates then it will solve all the problems.

So if anyone does anything from the list above, the cops will pull him over, the cop could not be bribed because he needs his commission. The law-breaker will have to go and submit the ticket at the station, which will create realization in him to not repeat this mistake again. In short the money goes out of the drivers pocket and goes into the Sargent's pocket BUT through a legal channel. In the meantime the public learns to behave and gets trained. When they are trained they will not just behave on the roads but in their homes, offices, in families, in public places and in any other social gathering.

THE RESULTS
The chain of favoring outcomes go long way into the lives of everyone. Just to state one, Patience - Lets just say, a man wakes up an hour late in the morning for office, first of all, he won't yell at his wife and kids because of his mental pressures of getting late, then he won't drive fast on roads and won't put his or other's lives in danger, then when he reaches office, his boss might not yell at him, if he does, he has the brains and the energy to handle the situation calmly. When he is calmed out the situation and himself, he will perform better at work, when he perform better at work he may be able to put an extra hour to cover up the morning tasks. And when he gets home late, his wife won't yell at him because he didn't yell at her in the morning while leaving and she understands why he is late. So she gives him a nice dinner and they live happily ever after :)

-----

Does all this make sense? I know it is a big theory and might seem impossible or maybe ridiculous to be done. But I think that it could be a long-term solution. Please mention any points that are illogical or something that I have missed. I'd love to discuss more on this so tell me your thoughts on this. I hope we can make a difference.

A Generous Advice or A Freakish Warning?

2009-05-07T01:56:00.001+06:00

Train mein safar ke doran Durood-Shareef Parhtay raha karein

So apparently the minister of state as "advised" the fellow countrymen to keep praying during commute via Pakistani trains. He says the railway tracks are quite old and the trains are totally inadequate. This guy says that he is a helpless minister and won't quit, although he will be playing his part at the level best to "inform" the nation about the corruption. He continues to mention that fact that the last incident in Hyderabad was due to negligence of the railway staff and that he has asked the Deputy DS to start investigation.

I usually and never post about this types of news, but this one was such a disastrous, funny, yet scary and somewhat paradoxical item that I had to post it. Because in the final sentence the man goes on to say ... "there should be no minister for the railway, instead an honest man should be appointed to run the department"!

I'm sorry to say, but these are the bugs in our system.

"MUST...... De...bug"... "MUST...... De...bug" :-)

KESC [(18+4+400+234 megawatts) - (Rs. 31 Bn + 5 Bn) + ($361 million) = Some Hope ]

2009-04-27T01:43:00.008+06:00

The title is scary, I know. It is true that it seems more complicated than it really is. A few days back, I came across some of the news items in my RSS reader. Three of those are listed below.

KESC Initiates Captive Power Policy
The first company to join this programme is Engro Polymer & Chemical Ltd (EPCL), which signed an agreement with KESC recently to supply 18 Megawatts power supply to the KESC by mid-year 2009. This was yet another breakthrough that was carried forward by a second agreement signing between International Industries Limited (IIL) and the KESC. According to this contract, IIL will supply 4 MWs to KESC within the next two weeks.
Islamabad pays Rs 31 bn KESC debt
Pepco spokesmen Tahir Basharat Cheema confirmed that the government had adjusted Rs 31 billion against the main portion of loans that the Pepco had gotten from the federal government at interest rate of 18 per cent. “Due to this very step, not only the KESC has been given relief but the loans the Pepco has gotten from the federal government have also been reduced.
Karachi to get 234-megawatt electricity from November
The government signed on Thursday an agreement with a Turkish company to hire a 234-megawatt power plant to address the electricity crisis in Karachi.

So this implies that if everything goes according to the plans, by the end of this year, Karachi would be in good electrical hands :)

Lets hope for the best and lets do what we can do about it.

PUBLIC MESSAGE:

SAVE (Bachat / cutback)
Switch off the lights when you don't need them.
SAVE (Bachaoo / Rescue)
Keep an eye on the "Kundas" (electricity theft) near your home and take some actions to prevent the illegal usage of electricity.
Make point 1 and 2 your habit :)

Things are starting to "heat up"

2009-04-26T17:12:00.007+06:00

Here is a post I thought I'd never make, Global Warming! Yes, an issue well heard of.

It all started last night, when the lights go out around 2.30 in the morning so I couldn't sleep and when I woke up I realized that today was Sunday so I can lay like a cow on the bed for as long as I could :) So, I finally left the bed around 3 in the afternoon and opened the door to my balcony and suddenly I felt like I opened an oven. I closed the door and went downstairs, had a good brunch and checked my email on my cell phone during brunch while also thought to give a peak at today's weather. Turned out it was 42 Degrees Centigrade outside, I clicked "update weather" and I was down to 41 Degree Centigrade. It was bit of a shock for me to see such a temperature before even the month of May, so I started worrying about what it is going to be in the summer - typically known as "JunJulai" :)

Anyway, I start Googling, came up with some good material on global warming (on Wikipedia of course). In a nutshell... Global Warming Phenomena is the entrapment of "greenhouse gases" inside the Earths atmosphere. Apparently, the homosapiens (People) are producing all these gases with their industries, cars and all the machinery etc, and all that is getting trapped between the Ozone Layer and the surface of the earth. Which is increasing the temperature of our planet, resulting in melting of both the poles, rising the sea-levels and ultimately inviting the biggest and the most deadliest natural disasters on the planet. Which in theory considers as "the end of the world". :)

Here is more to read on Global Warming...

However, it is not possible that a theory remains unchallenged any longer than a certain period of time. So, People gathered up and brought together some "arguments" to challenge the global warming theory. Some of those arguments include that there are no evidence that the actions of little creatures like us can effect the temperature of a planet. They say our equipment is "incompetent" or "inadequate" to record or forecast future climate conditions, the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) did not approve of it and some others.

Here is something to read about the arguments against Global Warming...

In fact, they also have come up with a "petition project" for rejecting the Global Warming theory as well... so if you feel like signing up for yourself... be their guest, they'll be lucky to have ya! :)

So, what we get by all this is just that the "outside" is becoming more like the "inside" of an oven and we are fighting over whether we will be the dinosaurs for the next life on the planet or not!

But, for those who believe, knows what's happening...

Greatest Karachi!

2009-03-28T04:44:00.003+05:00

Here is a video which beautifully highlights the essence of Karachi, the Bus Art, Rickshaws, Pan, the Graffiti everything! For everyone who love Karachi and every bit about it. Amazing video Enjoy :)

Lovely Weather Today!

2009-03-27T01:38:00.002+05:00

It has been a lovely weather in Karachi today, cloudy skies with
relatively pleasant temperature and a nice breeze. One of those days
when you can really enjoying just being in Karachi, we should cherish
these days, as a large part of the year in Karachi is either clear sky
with sun shining on our heads or once in a blue moon, it rains! cats
and dogs! (Yea I know, there can't be a blue moon when its raining
cats and dogs and the phrase "cats and dogs" was last used in the 18th
Century) :-)

Enjoy!

PS: I found this weather widget on the BBC website, shows the latest
weather observations of Karachi.

You&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;must have a browser that supports iframes to view the BBC weather&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;observations

Irony! A devotee of Prophet (saw) claims it on his car sub-woofer.

2009-03-20T03:08:00.001+05:00

I saw this car at bahadurabad today, very interestingly what it says is "Mairay Maan Baap ap per qurban, Ya Rasul Allah SAW". (sorry for the poor quality picture, it was dark at night) :)

This seems to mean that the person is willing to sacrifice his / her parents in the name of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw), unless it means that "Only my parents are a big fan / devotee of Your's (saw) and not me", it is quite an irony to see the big sub-woofer stuffed at the back of the car with some very good quality speaker system. I'm pretty sure that none of the Tilawat-e-Quran needs a big sub-woofer system to be played on. As we know that a sub woofer is used to produce bass, which is a low frequency below 150 hz down to 20hz or low, while the vocals are best when the ranges b/w 500Hz and 2 Khz are high (arrange your media player equalizer to see the results)

Although, I did not hear it playing music so I can not blame the person for being a lier or a show off maybe, but I can still ask you people to be careful. I am not asking you to quit listening music neither am I saying you should not talk about how much the religion means to you... but all I'm saying is that please do not do both at the same time.

I have seen a thousand cars who have the word "Allah" or Safar ki dua or Ayat-ul-Kursi etc hanging on their rear view mirrors, and they are listening to music or radio or have a nice girl on date in their cars and what not. It is like mixing the two opposites! And that's the ultimate sin. I've heard people say the words InshaAllah and MashaAllah on such sick occasions and they don't even know what they are saying. For example, people say on TV all the time "MashaAllah se buhut hit film hai", "inshaAllah mairi next music album 2 months mein ajai gi", I've even heard guys saying when they see a very beautiful girl on the street... "uff MashaAllah kia bandi hai!" . Do they even realize what they are saying? They are asking for the will of Allah for the launch of their next music album! They are praising Allah for the success of their obscene movie! and they are praising Allah for creating a beautiful girl who is walking in skin tight dress, without hijab or proper parda, (a sin in itself) and the one watching her (another sin in itself)!? (naozubillah to all)

and don't even get me started on the Music these Indian industry is making, songs like "Allah Mairi Tauba", "Subhan Allah", "Assalaam Walaikum", "Allah Hafiz", we all are not just listening to these songs, but are also selling and sharing it bluntly.

All I'm asking you people is PLEASE DO NOT MIX THE TWO THINGS. If you want to listen to music, listen, but don't disgust your own religion in it. If you are not a pious person, don't be, I don't have the right to force it on you, but I can ask you gently to be careful with the two, is it that hard to do? I hope not, just think for a second before you do or say.

May Allah for give us for all the sins we have done in ignorance and in consciousness (Ameen). Please notify me if I have sounded unreasonable any where in this post.

Information:
Wikipedia says about sub woofer...

A subwoofer is a woofer, or a complete loudspeaker dedicated to the reproduction of bass audio frequencies, from perhaps 150 Hz down as far as 20 Hz, or in rare cases lower.

In humans a good quality voice ranges b/w 500hz and above to a reasonable 1KHz. The maximum frequency produced was by a 12 year old singer who sung at 2,800 Hz and the lowest frequency world record holder is Tim Storms who produced an impossible 8Hz using his vocal cord.

Yellow and Blue is coming!

2009-03-20T00:18:00.001+05:00

You might have seen this hoarding all over Karachi by now. Today I thought I should blog about it and see what people think about what it could be.

At the top of my head, it stuck me as www.bestbuy.com, some of the teasers do say best buy as well. But some say great vale and some say things about experience. I think the chances for it to be bestbuy.com is pretty great, most of the signs leads us to think that. Specially the color scheme is exactly the same. If not then it will most probably be something digital or onlinr, I suppose.

To save me from embarrassment I'd like to hear what you people think of it. :)

The False Truth about Pakistani Blogsphere!

2009-03-14T21:52:00.006+05:00

In reference to my previous post, I would like to add yet another point. It is not just the media who is stupid enough to not highlight the good points of the country and city, it is everything everywhere from internet, blogs groups and what not. We are so stupid that we don't even realize that we ourselves tell the world that we are (a). stupid, (b). Illiterate (c). at fault, and living in a (d). politically and economically unstable country which is supposedly (e). hub for terrorsim!?. What is up with you people!

I will try to make my point clear by using a very recent example from the website Karachi Metblogs (KMB).

I, myself was once an author on KMB, but before I tell you what I am about to say, I should tell you why I joined the blog. I found so many good posts, open-minded people posting everything about Karachi, posting about events, places, and restaurant reviews etc (which were sometimes very useful too). But the reason for me to quit was that "some" of the new individuals were (and still are) openly making personal opinions, critics and unbiased accusations about the politicians of Pakistan, others actively and passionately post about every bomb that goes off, every person getting killed, the next minute of happening. The rest of them try to "be the first" to write about when every politician even sneezes!

I don't know why it was so, but it was clearly killing the better usage of metroblogging and promoting the blog as a political blog and not just that, it was highlighting ONLY the issues of the country and not the good points that could make the world could see how wonderful our country really is. So I quit writing, as I did not and do not want to be recognized as someone who drills holes in what they eat in.
Please note that I am in no way trying to pinpoint any single individual or a website for criticism, I’m speaking collectively, while realizing that not everyone is good and not everyone is a culprit in a blogsphere.

A few days back there was a post made on Karachi Metblogs about an event organized by CIO Pakistan and Badar Khushnood where a discussion was carried out about blogging and bloggers of Pakistan, how it has been going on and what it should be. A few lines from the post...

In the end came the resolutions and everyone committed to contribute in one way or another to build a brighter and more positive image Pakistan and bring about a change through blogging. People agreed among other things, to blog more positive things about Pakistan, photoblogging more of Pakistan’s art and cultural events and tagging every blog post or picture they upload properly.

Just today (2 days after the above post was made) another post was made on the same website. Here are some lines from the post...

In this country innocents get murdered every day, may they be the victims of a bomb blast, a pedestrian trying to cross a road, a collage student waiting for a bus, a person resisting a robbery bid, or pet dog sitting calmly outside his house.

Here is just another one of the heartbreaking narrative: http://d*****ing.org/murder-****/ (note: I have removed the links)

Now my point is, this is the exact same website on which both the two contrary posts were made, the irony here is that it is made by the same author, one post consequent to the other by the gap of just two days.

Wasn't it enough to let the world know more and more about killings, crimes, rapes, robberies, bombs, economic issues, "pathetic" services offered by government and almost every company, telco, cellcos, electricity corporation, municipal corporation, WIND, WATER, EARTH, FIRE in Pakistan, that it was felt extremely necessary to write about animals killings? Not just animals but pet cats and dogs too. Yea, so the world could also know how sick, weird and psychologically ill we all are!

My question is, if the media is free, does it mean it should loose its mind and show anything and everything? From live coverage of shootouts to blown up bodies of bombers, gore and blood, from obscene movies to drams made on subjects of illegitimate physical relations between friends, from road shows where the host “dares” teenagers to do “daring things” and gets kissed by young girls in front of the camera as this is what they think is “daring” or being told on TV that the girl slapped her mother on the face just to prove that she was daring! Where have all the sanity gone? What are you educating people, what are you telling the world?

On the other hand, if you have internet (which you are never happy to have, as it is “slow”) does it mean you should write anything and everything? If the technology has made the world just a click away, does it mean you should let others look into your toilets!?

Just think for a minute when you say something, this internet and media are NOT a channel for finding solution, publicity will NOT solve any problem in the country, it will ONLY let the world know, so they could point fingers at you while you yourself strip-naked down to humility.

Pakistan and all of its cities are a wonderful place to live, besides every problem it is still our home and it will be for the rest of our lives. Writing about the country’s problems is like writing about your own homes. Would you be willing to blog on a global scale about the arguments you went through with your wife or husband, what your kids are doing and how they are not listening or getting complaints or bad results back from school, or how you might be worried about your teenage son or daughter or how the grandpa’s health is declining every day? Would you write about it? Or would you like it if your neighbor writes about it? You wouldn’t write it yourself neither you would like anyone else to write about it. So my question is that this country is just a collection of a million such homes…

why are you giving the world the wrong impression?

We Have To Survive as "Us" not "Them"

2009-03-13T20:19:00.003+05:00

I have recently received an email about someone who went out of country for a while and have experienced how the world is portraying Pakistan.

I agree to all the concerns, thoughts and the proposed plan of action, highlighted by my brother. I am reproducing this email on my blog so every one can read and understand it.

I do feel guilty of not highlighting these issues while they were in my head for a long time. A few points are how the mega-media of India and around the world is portraying Pakistan as center of terrorism, while we prove them to be right via our "miniature" media. We have more than 80% international channels on our cable TV and the ones which are supposedly ours, feels / sounds no different than Indian media. On the other hand, just a few years back people of Pakistan were making an issue if a woman appears on television with dupatta on her head, today if you see how the cloths have shrunk up to a considerable minimum you would be amazed to see that there is absolutely NO difference in women of Pakistani channels and the women of Indian channels, the irony is that they belong to TOTALLY opposite religions.

Today, we appear, sound and even think like the ones who were the worst enemies of this country and the basis on which it was formed i.e. Islam. This is indeed something that SHOULD NOT be taken lightly.

Here is the email.

Before reading this email see the main news on this link,
http://news.yahoo.com/i/703;_ylt=AhQdEoIjb86D3728H_2WRWtvaA8F

I went to Dubai for some work and there in the hotel they had the channel Star News (India) which I guess is not on cable TV in Karachi. You know what they show most of the times .......... "Pakistan is a country full of terrorists" and they show videos of fake TALIBANS and KASHMIRI mujahideens and just say bad and only bad for Pakistan and take advantage of any news that is hot in Pakistan and convert it or relate it to terrorism and show it and our good old news channels PTV and all others show the war between Zardari and Nawaz all the time giving proof to the world that what they see on CNN, BCC and Star news is 100% correct and Pakistan is unstable in law, politics and government and the TALIBANS are taking advantage of it and making Pakistan a terrorist home.

My request to all of you is that please please please stop favoring the politicians and idiotic marches and idiotic ban or marches as this is all making us more and more unstable and you all know very well that if Pakistan is attacked by NATO or US for war against terror its we who will die and suffer not over politicians and leaders because weather they are out of country or they have good relations in middle east and Europe so they can run and hide.

Please try to think that its we who have to stand up and see the truth and have to spread it and the only way and the quickest way to start it is simply following the Holy Quran and Islam.

India has banned every thing of Pakistan there but over dear Pakistani people do not boycott anything, our cinema is showing their movies our heroes are Shahrukh Khan and Aamir Khan and our hair styles are like them we talk like them …..etc

Please think and see that we are becoming the best friends of our enemies as we are allowing them to spread their culture in our homes. I don't remember the name of the politician but there was one form India who clearly and openly said that they can defeat Pakistan easily just by culture war and they are doing it.

Please start boycott of every Indian movie, drama and their stuff and tell all you meet that our existence is only possible is Pakistan exists and the only way to survive is to become a good Muslim and remember that a person can never become a good Muslim if he/she is not a good person.

I hope I made my point clear if not please tell me and I will try to explain more.

Best regards,
Farrukh Malik

Lamha-e-Fikria

2009-02-14T21:35:00.002+05:00

I got this email about pieces of Quran Majeed (The Holy Book) at Boat Basin -Karachi. I'm not sure about the authenticity of this email or the people responsible. But I do know that I have received this email quite a few times in the recent past. So I'm posting it so more and more people could know and probably get a solution for this matter.

Just a thought, we Muslims are off for boycotting everything and make a fuss about anything that insults Islam and / or any Holy figures in that matter. Take the issue of Hazrat Muhammad (SAW) illustrations, when there was boycott of every Danish product. Or take the Puma shoe for instance! I say what happens in your own neighbourhood is of no concern to you? No one is there to "act upon" or "act out" on everything that goes wrong in our won city? Our own Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said something - the essence of which is that you don't have to expect or advice someone for doing or not doing something unless you yourself have that trait.

Here is the email

A very shocking reality of our society regarding our Holy book Quran Shareef

This message is very important, I have something to share with you unfortunately which is a cruel fact of our society and a huge depravity that we are doing by immersing Shaheed Quran Shareef in a sea below the Native Jaiti bridge (naiti jaiti pull).

How like when we immerse / sink Shaheed Quran Shareef at there & it passes afterwards in the drainage area near Mai Kolachi (behind several banks warehouses) & besides Beach Luxury sea side (Na'udzubillah).

In this manner we are actually disrespecting our Holy book Quran Shareef.

So I request my dear friends to spread this message to everyone and let others know about this cruel fact regarding our Holy book Quran Shareef.

A video was also showed on Samma TV program "Ankahi" by Faisal Qureshi.

* Play your role by communicating among the people regarding the fact to discontinue this practice.

Garmio Mein Kia Hoga! (What Will Happen In Summers)

2009-02-13T04:07:00.002+05:00

As we are enjoying the mild weather in the winters of Karachi, it gets quiet at in the night times and feels a little bit more cold than the day. You can hear sounds from far far away, hear leafs falling and being blown all around the street, enjoy the atmosphere and the wonderful sightings of Karachi.

In the meantime, you also sometimes don't feel so irritated when the lights go out for hours and hours a in a day hour after hour. But when it does come into subject in groups of friends at the dhabba (chai wala), the most common comment this season is "Garmio mein kia haal hoga, jab sardio mein yea haal hai". Yes we are all worried about what it will be like in the summers when the heat will increase and the air conditionings all over the city will be turned on. If there is shortage of electricty in the winters when the load is minimal (compared to summers) then it is surly hair-raising and sometimes heart-beat-slower to think about the situation of load shedding in summers.

From rapid advancements in technology and IT and constant improvements to the city beauty and infrastructure, we see on one hand, there are, on the other hand, increasing crime rate, job cuts, resource shortage and shrinking, sky high prices, ever-decrasing value of money and a lot more, what do we see as the future of Karachi?

We all are hoping for the best, yet expecting the worst.

Bomb Threat at Business Avenue

2009-02-02T15:38:00.003+05:00

There has been a bomb threat at Business Avenue at Shahrah-e-Faisal. The building has been evacuated and emergency measures has been taken. Bomb disposal squad is searching for the threat at the moment. The picture was taken at 3 in the afternoon which shows ambulances in front of the building and people waiting outside for any confirm reports.

One of the pedestrians humorously told that this is just a rumor spread by someone who needed a day off! Other statements highlighted that the treat was made in 11 in the morning some said the building was evacuated around 2 in the afternoon. People standing outside are getting a bit bored, some anxious and a some grumpy! One young individual said "I don't know what they are trying to do, either let us go home or let us go back to our offices"

There are still no confirmed reports of the threat or the threat being neutralized. If you get any updates, please share.

Also lets pray that noting really happens, I'm sitting in the building right next to it :s

Shadi Mubarak OR Barbadi-e-Kul Mubarak!

2008-12-28T04:11:00.004+05:00

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 and on. Not only are the residents of this city being made to suffer due to 12 hour load shedding in these cold and desperate times but they also have to lie awake listening to band baja’s, firing and fire works of each and every capacity accompanied by loud and vlugar Indian music and dhols in the middle of the night. Read More...

I will quote the words of Faisal as my words for this particular issue...

I appeal to the city government to make and enforce the one dish rule as well as a noise pollution rule for us Karachites and enforce it with its full power to ensure both the regular supply of edibles in the local market and a peaceful nights sleep for all of us, even if it is in complete darkness.

Punishment to those breaking this rule should be to consume their offered buffet for one week straight while listening to the nerve racking sounds of pappu can’t dance salaa!

Scared Terror

2008-04-09T22:57:00.002+05:00

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 will write an article about this.

Anyway, he couldn't see the image from the cell in my hand so he asked to hold my cell in his hands, I wasn't letting go of my cell phone, but then I gave it to him. I asked him if he's satisfied by the picture. He told me that he was satisfied, I again asked him if he wants me to delete it, he replied no. I then asked if I could have my cell phone back. I took it and continued my way on...

I later realized that they were actually the ones who had kept the pump closed and were afraid if I had captured them in picture. I believe that all the people creating violence and chaos are either mentally unstable or they are scared as hell...

Art - A True Wonder!

2008-03-28T22:56:00.005+05:00

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!

Mazar-e-Quaid! A True Representation Of The City

2008-03-25T21:52:00.004+05:00

... 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 in a room of Mazar-e-Quaid. It is indeed a shocking and horrifying incident, but I'm not here to comment on the rights of women, the government laws or the corrupt public.

All I want to notify is the fact that how true is the representation of what happened in the place and whats happening to the country. The reason why this Mazar is there and the one whose mazar is it, did not stand for this to happen ever. In fact, he stood with intent of the exact opposite.

I'm done putting blames on everyone around and I'd recommend all the bloggers around to avoid doing the same. I'm not an angel, why should I expect others to be one. I'm not perfect, why should I expect others to be as perfect as we think they should be. Before commenting on anything, try to think what YOUR part is in it. Is it just to comment?

Just think for once, what if everyone tries to rectify himself or make a considerable gesture before he puts a blame or curse anyone, wouldn't life be better? The smallest gesture is to educate others do the same...

The Candle, The Light and The Amish

2008-03-20T19:51:00.009+05:00

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 still live here.... What's the future... You in the meantime also curse the "electricity-suppliers", shall I say only "suppliers" or just "liers" (for the sake of convenience) :)

But I was thinking, why do we get bothered with whats going on? The question revolves around human psychology, economics, sociality, prosperity and a lot more if you think... But just one point is worth highlighting...

Curiosity leads to discovery, discoveries leads to ideas, ideas leads to inventions, inventions leads to marketing, Marketing leads to wants and wants become needs. When you don't get when you need, you get bothered.

Now the point is, if there isn't any "Curiosity", there won't be any needs (except for the natural ones). The question is, is there anyone in the world, who isn't curious? The answer is, yes and no. There aren't any normal people (mentally and religiously) who are not curious of new advancements. But there are also some people who are not curious or more accurately 'ignorant' about the new advancements of technology and lifestyle.

The most well-known community in the world is the Amish community. Besides all the religious matters and believes, isn't that the only community living at peace!

what if we all are rendered Amish compellingly or willingly sometime in near future :)

References on Karachi Metblogs

The Era of Digital Outdoor Advertising Has Begun!

2008-03-10T16:18:00.008+05:00

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. Unfortunately the people here found it too hard to be maintained, and you can now see the dead body still standing there, still not put to any useful purpose.

As far as I can see, these hoardings might be a replacement to the current outdoor advertising system in Karachi. But making debate on the advertising system in Karachi, can trigger a never ending thread of comments and thoughts. So I may highlight the key points while keeping the other factors ideal...

One small hoarding costs hundreds of thousands to set in place for a couple of months. Imagine if the same placeholder displays 10 adds in 10 minutes and one add cost a thousand rupees (hypothetically).... so, in 10 minutes the board can generate 10,000 rupees. This strategy of outdoor advertising can be a very successful business.

Other than the business point of view, it can also be used for several other purposes. During traffic jams it could be a source for entertainment, news, cricket matches, special notices, breaking news etc, all can make their way onto the roads of Karachi in no time. TV channels can be broadcasted on the roads and a hell lot more if you imagine.

Besides that there is also a darker side to this, the electric supply in the city, the 'charsi' awam, the politics, the burning down of every shinny building, glasses, the chaos, the wrong censor-ships tactics, all leads us to think and not think about the reformations and the new developments in our city, simultaneously.

ANP Sindh Chief Shot Dead CONFIRMED

2008-02-06T20:46:00.000+05:00

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)

ANP Sindh Chief Shot Dead (Unconfirmed)

2008-02-06T18:54:00.000+05:00

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...