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rallying A fiery
entrance neighbourhood The way we are karachicharacter
Democracy at the price of what? On October 18, Karachi stopped celebrating and went into mourning for hundreds of lives lost. It is now obvious that political activity in Karachi can lead to immeasurable loss and violence. By Amina Baig For weeks Karachi primped
and primed itself in green, red and black. Walls all but screamed undying The day of October 18 dawned with much anticipation for everyone in Pakistan, those in Karachi watched the crowd at the airport and the procession thereon with bated breath, warnings of possible terrorist activity rearing its ugly little head beneath the layers of excitement caused by the return of Ms Bhutto. The leader herself tugged at heartstrings of fans by throwing caution to the wind and emerging atop her bullet proof BB van. By 5 pm, the worst thing that had happened at the rally was death of one person due to suffocation in the teeming crowds. Benazir Bhutto sparked a certain measure of hope even among those who do not support her party, by stating her agenda, which includes the youth, the elderly, women's rights and education. Drums rolled, men and women danced, PPP flags waved, and the procession continued on to the Mazaar-e-Quaid for Benazir's public address. A few minutes after
midnight, the music stopped. Two blasts put an end to the days long
celebration, As with the rally on May 12, the instigators and participants at the October 18 welcoming rally had also been forewarned of terrorist attacks on the procession. The CJP's rally on May 12 was the first violent incident of such magnitude in Karachi after almost a decade of relative peace and quiet. Does this mean then, that the minute there is some political activity in the country, which will obviously play out in every city, guns will be fired, suicide bombers will become active, and lives will be lost? On May 12, as CJP Iftikhar Chaudry arrived in Karachi to celebrate the golden jubilee of the Karachi Bar Association, he found himself unable to even step off the airport. Roads had been barricaded to impede his entrance into the city, and workers of the MQM convened in a counter-rally of their own, with clashes breaking out between the varied groups of people, each with separate political interests. As Karachi will surely remember, the carnage that day was horrific, and the subsequent hindrances in aiding the victims inhuman. Perhaps that rally set a
precedent for the days to come. The questionable National Reconciliation Already, PPP supporters in Karachi are burning tyres and pelting stones in Lyari, Gaddap, Pak Colony and Malir, which are PPP dominated areas in protest to the attack on their leader, and the lives lost as a result, which thankfully, of course, did not include Benazir Bhutto's. On October 18, life in Karachi came to a standstill to accommodate the grand welcome afforded to the leader. Industrial areas suffered losses; schools were shut down, just in case, and the Quaid-e-Azam International Airport closed to public. On October 19, PPP announced three day mourning for victims of the bombing. Life will once again slow down excruciatingly and halt as a result. While the air in Pakistan is almost electrically charged with anticipation of the upcoming elections, and the many, many promises they hold, one cannot help but dread the activity that will precede and ensue the elections in Karachi. The suicide bombings underscore the suggestion that political figures come with the threat of harm to themselves and anyone in the vicinity. With the general elections right around the corner, and recent proof that anything small or big can trigger off death and destruction in the city of lights, one can just hope and pray, that all will go well. A fiery entrance As her supporters welcomed her home with open arms and hearts, Benazir Bhutto, perhaps caught up in the emotion, disregarded all suggested security measures, raising many questions about the caution she could have practised, and avoided this catastrophe. By Sabeen Jamil She returns! Ms Bhutto waved at the
excited crowd of millions chanting "Jeay Bhutto," smiled proudly
over Over a hundred people were killed and hundreds of others were severely injured following the suicide attack, one of the deadliest in Pakistan's history, at Benazir Bhutto's rally in Karachi on Thursday. The imam zamin wearing BB was miraculously saved as she was down in her bullet proof truck when the blast occured, however, as the popular urdu adage goes, "aa bail mujhai maar," she literally tempted the elements to harm her despite receiving threats of suicide attack upon her return.
"Benazir attacked", a nightmare come true? October 18's attack doesn't come as a surprise as both the government and Benazir herself had expressed fears of an attack. Earlier, the Home Department had warned of danger of the procession being attacked by a Taliban style suicide bombing, saying that the longer Benazir stays on the road, the higher the chances of terrorist attack. Being a rather liberal leader, Benazir has her share of enemies. In an interview recently she had expressed desire to find Osama Bin Laden herself, and seek America's cooperation should she face difficulty in doing so. Taliban commander, Haji Omer had vowedthat he would attack and eliminate Benazir as he had, "attacked General Pervez Musharraf." On the other hand as media reports echoed a threat of a terrorist attack by Baitullah Mehsud, a militant organization, Benazir feared "retired military officers," plotting against her in a secret letter to General Musharraf. According to a report in the Christian Science Monitor she blames "threat within the government," saying that her most "potent enemy," was constituted by retired military officers "who have fought the jihad." She feared that these officers in league with Islamic extremists could be plotting her assassination. This is not the first time Ms Bhutto has blamed agencies plotting against her. Back in 2000 too, during an interview with the international media she blamed some elements in Pakistan's intelligence agencies for working against the PPP governments. "ISI and MI in both my terms started to destabilize my governments when they did not like my policy," Benazir told the Washington-based Pakistan Voice magazine. Against this background there was a firm possibility of an attack given, and a fool proof security was promised to BB by the government but what BB did in return is simply unbelievable. Appearing unguarded, a super human leader? Despite the history of the city authorities failing to shield Karachiites against suicide attacks, Benazir Bhutto planned to travel by road from the airport to Quaid's Mazar. Given the failure of the police in the past to guard even small religious processions in the city one doubts the sensibility of the decision. After law enforcement agencies failed to prevent the Nishtar Park blast and violence on Black Saturday one wonders why PPP went for such a massive rally and why then Benazir chose to travel for 18 long hours amidst the crowd on the road. She should have travelled by helicopter or gone directly to Bilawal House. There is plenty of time for street politics in the countdown to elections. Also, given the security concerns, a special bullet proof truck escorted by jammers was provided to BB. 20,000 police personnel lined the route of the procession. Buildings, bridges and culverts along the route were exhaustively surveyed by the Crime Investigation Department A bullet proof glass cubicle was built on the truck for BB to address the crowd gathered to catch a glimpse of their beloved leader. However, Ms Bhutto let the bulletproof glass be removed and traveled unguarded instead. According to eyewitnesses this action created severe problems for PPP activists forming the security ring around her as they had to prevent the excited crowd from reaching BB. Many a times people successfully climbed up, handed over unchecked bouquets and shook hands with her. Accordng to media reports CCPO Azher Farooqi had shown his dissatisfaction saying, "this is not an ideal situation from a security point of view." Why, despite threats did BB mount the front of the truck instead of being in the bullet proof cubicle amid a procession of 25,0000 people who were not scrutinized and were traveling at a snail's pace? Was wearing an imam zamin security enough? There would have been severe consequences if Benazir Bhutto had been at the spot of the blast. Post blast scenario….. security means a day off! Why even after "fool proof security," could the attack not be prevented? Who plotted this attack and why? These questions remain unanswered. One sees the City Government helpless against terrorists. As hundreds struggle against death in hospitals and over a hundred families mourn their loved ones, one wonders if security means remaining indoors. Will Karachiites remain locked in their houses before and during election time, watching the drama unfold on their television screens? neighbourhood watch Qasimabad: A slice of Sindh Qasimabad is one of the older residential areas in Hyderabad, and while it is quite pleasant to live in, a lack of basic amenities leads to some discomfort for residents. Kolachi visits the area. By Adeel Pathan Often known as 'mini Sindh,' Qasimabad nowadays faces issues ranging from faulty sewage to protests by elected representatives for being ignored in development work. However, the people who
live in this taluka describe it as an almost ideal place to live in. There
is Qasimabad is a town in the western suburbs of the Hyderabad district and has been named after Muhammad Bin Qasim, the Arab conqueror who invaded Sindh and brought Islam into the region, but according to some, this locality was named after an officer of the district administration at that time. Qasimabad was formed as an extension to the city of Hyderabad to occupy migrants from across the border after the 1947 partition of the Sub-Continent, along with the town of Latifabad. The locals that occupied the town at its inception were an ethnically diverse mix, but as the city experienced riots in the 1980s, the city divided itself, with the majority of Sindhis occupying Qasimabad, while the Urdu-speaking population settled down in Latifabad. Qasimabad has a large population of Sindhi speaking people, but currently a large number of Punjabi and Pashto speaking people reside in the taluka as well. Although Qasimabad and
Latifabad were formed at the same time, Qasimabad does not follow the "A majority of the people in Qasimabad aren't original residents of the area, but have moved here for employment and educational purposes," a resident of the Qasimabad tells Kolachi. Parvano Bhatti, a retired government teacher who writes for a Sindhi daily tells Kolachi the neighbourhood isn't a very social one, as everyone is wrapped up in their own lives, with students just attending school and college, and the 'elites' of the area not really expressing any interest in interacting with their neighbours. However, other residents of Qasimabad have opinions that completely oppose Bhatti's, they feel that the residents of the town are familiar with each other and interact with their neighbours regularly. Elites and landlords live in the posh areas of Qasimabad, and they don't live here on a permanent basis, hence removing the compulsion to keep up with other residents of their neighbourhood. Ahsan Ali, a government servant tells Kolachi that the atmosphere of Qasimabad is like other parts of the district but the only distinction is less traffic and sparsely crowded roads. "There is a difference between people of lower and upper Sindh who live in the taluka," he explains, "as people belonging to different regions have different lifestyles and traditions." The main branches of
private schools are situated in Qasimabad and the locality also houses the Sindhi nationalist political parties have their head quarters in Qasimabad for many reasons, but obviously a dominant Sindhi speaking populace makes it easy and comfortable for these parties to carry out their political work and mobilization. The population of Qasimabad can be divided into upper, lower as well as lower middle classes, all of which have different patterns of living, apart from the katchi abadis which are known as goths, also located in the taluka. The main areas of Qasimabad include Naseem Nagar, Bhitai Nagar, Bhitai Town, Wahadat Colony, Sheedi Goth, Abdullah Goth and other smaller localities. There are larger localities for upper class residents; Sindh Muslim Society, Citizen colony, Abdullah Bungalows, and other such colonies are being constructed as well. There is also a museum celebrating the treasures of Sindhi culture and traditions present in this town, the Sindh Museum. Then there is the historic Rani Bagh, also undergoing massive development and Niaz Stadium, (international cricket venue now being developed according to world class standards) and Sindhi Language Authority. Like Latifabad, Qasimabad is also an attractive place for real estate business and a large number of builders throng the area, constructing apartments as well as housing schemes. However, this boom in the real estate business comes with the usual lack of basic amenities such as drinking water and sewage. The population of Qasimabad has now crossed the figure of two to three hundred thousand but its infrastructure at the time of planning was meant for under one hundred thousand inhabitants. The district government has initiated a number of schemes in this regard but the local administration and representatives of the taluka complain of being neglected when preparing these schemes. According to Mahboob Abro, a UC Nazim in Qasimabad, the district government is not doing enough for the taluka and therefore the area is digressing rather than being styled to be a part of a developed and modernized Hyderabad. A symbolic gate had been constructed to enter Qasimabad and linked it to other parts of Sindh, but sentimental symbolism aside, what the area really needs is meticulous planning so that the fast mushrooming houses and colonies are not deprived of the most basic facilities. Existing colonies and residential areas in Qasimabad must be provided with these facilities too, and the area might be expanded to accommodate its ever increasing population. Steps such as these will truly help Qasimabad prosper and evolve as have other talukas in Hyderabad. The way we are Monumentous movements By Samia Saleem In a city as huge as Karachi there is a lot of movement; it is because of the demands of the metropolis. A huge labour force fuels the pace of Karachi's development which is occurring due to the combined efforts of both men and women. Contrary to the norm still prevalent in most parts of third world countries where only men are considered the rightful and regular bread earners, Karachi is a city which has seen the most women empowerment and here women work alongside men to support and meet the ever growing needs of their family. This makes for a huge working class. Yet in a society such as ours they don't get as many facilities. Not only the women but also a mammoth count of this working class is deprived of certain privileges of work remuneration due to the nature of their professions or sometimes due to their unaffordabilities. In all, they have to face uncountable and inexpressible problems from their first step out of home to the last one into home. One of the biggest, most immediate and prevalent of these is the issue of transportation. As a large number of our populace can't afford private conveyance a bulky number of our working population uses public transport to move around. While in most of the cities of Pakistan there is hardly any public conveyance it is an advantage in Karachi to have a huge variety of such. Mini and large buses, coaches, shuttle service as well as rickshaws and taxis bear the commuters' load and help the poor masses (not to mention besides these the horse and donkey carts are still to be found in old and poor localities such as Burns road, Garden and the like). There is a bus for nearly every road and route in Karachi. No matter how small the locality and structure of the roads, the taxis and rickshaws can squeeze into the thinnest of lanes! All these vehicles serve two purposes in Karachi, both advantageous and the disadvantageous. The disadvantage of the presence of such a stocky variety of public vehicles in Karachi despite the presence of private cars and motorcycles is the ever rising pollution and traffic of the city. Karachi's pollution count is said to be the highest in the country and the traffic congestion certainly known as the most overcrowding. There are jams for about two to three hours, and that is considered normal in the city. The condition of the roads also suffers due to this persistent traffic. With the city's structure made such that there are no alternate routes, whenever there is construction anywhere, the traffic of that area suffers badly, consequently creating a fiasco in the neighbouring routes as well, thanks to the impatience and hasty nature of all of our drivers. The absence of proper law and order adds further to the deteriorating traffic standards in the city. There are no appropriate rules and regulations for maintaining the public transport system and sometimes it is the untrained and simple bus conductors and drivers who come out to give directions in place of the authorities to clear their own way. With no proper bus stops and timings for the buses to pick up passengers, the buses stop at any point on the road to allow the passengers thus blocking and hindering the overall traffic. The bus drivers are sometimes thoughtless in picking up passengers and start the bus when the passengers haven't even properly gotten inside or over the bus. The reckless driving and racing by the drivers leave not just the roads and traffic but also the people sitting in these buses as victims of unnecessary accidents. In this scenario there is great risk for the bulk of motorcyclists that mostly become the sufferers of the misfortunes of life. The rickshaw and taxi drivers park their vehicles at any point on the road and especially at the already congested public places like bazaars and parks in wait of their sawari which hampers the whole traffic route. If that's not all, there are also the inner conditions of the public transport to haunt those who sit in them. People spit and vomit in the buses, they step over feet and literally fight to occupy an empty seat! They are overloaded with passengers both inside and on the roof of the bus and sometimes there is no space to even breathe! The etiquette and manners of traveling in public transport are also not those universally accepted, with the men coming into the ladies section and ogling at any woman sitting in the bus causing severe humiliation for the poor woman who has no way to move before she reaches her destination. Besides, crime has also found its way inside this means of transport to become a silent and vicious commuter. The buses have become dens of gang robberies. Cell phones, money, jewellery, shopping bags and valuable items are usually found missing after getting out of a bus and those accidentally forgotten are also considered lost as there is no means to track or catch a bus once you get off it, (except of course by chance and luck, but by then one's precious possessions are obviously gone!). The taxis and rickshaws though become somewhat semi private once you hire them, but still are not out of the red zone as they too sometimes cause huge losses of life and possessions to the travelers. In spite of all this there are still some if not many advantages of the cosmic array of pubic transportation in the city. The struggling population depends vastly on this means to move about and do their daily chores. With Karachi being bigger than any city in Sindh and with the population's multi-status hierarchy, it becomes extremely necessary to have as many public transport facilities as possible. And it is the pressure of this need that forces our population to make use of the public transport without any complaints.
karachicharacter Those of us who are law
abiding citizens, stop when the signal turns red, and don't receive calls on Rashid is a traffic constable who moved to Karachi over two decades ago to find a job. He preferred joining th police force, as he considered it to be a man's way of life, which says much for how he lives his own life. He firmly avoids indulging in corrupt activities, and believes that his peers dont do so either. Kolachi: When did your family come to Karachi? Rashid: Being a former resident of Punjab, I came to Karachi in 1984. I came here alone, and after a few years of service, I got married. Now my wife and children are in Punjab. Kolachi: Why did you come to Karachi? Rashid: I came here to earn a living. In 1984, Karachi had more to offer than my village in Punjab. Not only did Karachi have more job opportunities, people here enjoyed a much better lifestyle. Kolachi: What is your educational qualification? Rashid: I have completed my Matric, but did not have the funds for further studies. Kolachi: Why did you choose this particular profession? Rashid: I wanted to be in the police force. I found it to be a man's job, complete with adventure and uncertainty about tomorrow. I gave the test for the police force and got a job in the traffic department as they had a vacancy which suited me. Kolachi: Do you like your job? Rashid: Its alright, nothing too exciting. We have to do our duties in the scorching sunlight, and in the eeriness of the night. But then not all jobs are exciting, yet someone has to do them. Plus, now that I have come all the way from Punjab, I might as well do what I have come for. Not only do I do it, I make sure I put my best in to it. So at the end of the day I have a feeling of accomplishment that makes me like my job. Kolachi: How long are your working hours? Are you satisfied with them? Rashid: We have daily duty of eight hours. However, the timings change every week. If one week I work during the day shift, the next week they put me into the night shift. As for being satisfied, every man works eight hours. It's just that we work seven days a week, and that exhausts us. Kolachi: So, don't you get a day off? Rashid: No, there is no official day off for traffic policemen. There is no proper system with which they allocate duties or holidays. If someone has to take a holiday, they must submit an application. However, we have devised our own system. We randomly take a day off if enough backup is present. We all take turns. Then too one can never be sure when an emergency may arise and we have to return to duty. Kolachi: How much is your salary? Does it allow you to meet ends easily? Rashid: I earn approximately 10,000 rupees per month. Although the salary has increased during the past years, so have the prices and the cost of living. Even though I am a government servant, I don't get any benefits. The salary barely survives the month. I have five children, and all are studying. Although they study in government schools, I have to pay their fees. Kolachi: Doesn't the government provide you additional facilities? Rashid: The only facility the government provides is medical. We get free medical aide. Otherwise most traffic policemen have to pay their own house rents. Kolachi: How are you rewarded for your services? Rashid: We get certificates for different achievements. Each has its own value. If we accomplish a duty which is not ours, we get monetary rewards. For example if I catch a thief, although that is the police's duty, I might receive as much as 20,000 rupees as a reward. Kolachi: What is your opinion on traffic these days? Rashid: Traffic has worsened over the years, not only in terms of rush but also in rashness. There are traffic jams due to dug up roads. Traffic gets diverted onto roads which aren't made for such heavy traffic. Same is the case with processions. Every other day some procession is taking place and the traffic is diverted. It annoys the drivers too and they stop caring about rules. The rules of driving are long forgotten. Speed limits are exceeded, people don't stop at signals, and if they do, they park on the zebra crossings, not before them. Accidents happen because people talk on phones while driving. The saddest thing is that this happens most in Defence, although people here are supposed to be most literate and posh. For them talking on the phone and driving cars with fancy number plates and tinted glasses is a status symbol. Kolachi: Do you get respect in your profession? Rashid: We give and receive respect. As in all cases, there are some who show us respect and others don't. Those who respect us, stop when we signal them to, and talk politely. Those who don't, well, they don't stop in the first place. However, if we chase them and make them pull over, they are very hostile. Kolachi: Why are the traffic police unable to catch the hit and run accident culprits? Rashid: Most of the time we do catch them. We note down their car number and either we chase them or wireless the number. Many times we don't have good enough conveyance to chase them. Its discouraging how lower ranked constables don't get proper conveyance, their motorcycles are obsolete and the government doesn't provide new ones due to lack of funds. Kolachi: Why are most constables stationed in places where they can't be seen clearly, as if they are hiding? Why aren't they in the centre guiding traffic? Rashid: It is against our rules to stand on the side. Those who do that are often caught and action is taken against them. Some are too scared to be in the centre, others are just resting. However, our seniors keep a check on us. Kolachi: Why don't you stop cars with tinted glasses and illegal number plates? Rashid: Of course we do. On an average ten such cars are challaaned everyday. However, most of them belong to people in the upper class who have contacts. When we stop them, they first ask us if we don't know them. Then if we continue with our duty, they call their contacts to take action against us. These contacts are our seniors. We often end up getting transferred. The fault is not with us, but with the higher officials. Kolachi: What do you have to say about the rumours that you pocket the challaans that you charge? Rashid: Impossible. For one thing, we aren't allowed to take money; it's the driver's responsibility to pay their challaans in the respective place. But if they do insist that we do it to save them from inconvenience, its not possible for us to pocket the money. This is because once the receipt is made; the money has to reach the National Bank of Pakistan, as each receipt has a serial number. If the money is not accounted for, we are inquired about it. Plus we get commissioned for the challaans so we don't need to pocket the money. Kolachi: What role does the traffic police play in the transport mafia? Is it true that they own buses and trucks? Rashid: There is no such thing as us owning the buses and trucks. Yes, there are networks in the transport sector, but we have nothing to do with them. For us they are like everyone else, and we treat them that way. As a matter of fact, they get the most challaans. This session with the traffic constable gives us an insight into his life and job. However, what this Karachi character has to say, shouldn't be generalized to all men of his profession, as each is his own person. Rashid seems extremely dedicated to his job, and has faith in what he does, believing it to be right. He stand in the sun trying to tame traffic on one of the many unruly roads in karachi, making him one the most feared, often ridiculed, but in his case, a noble Karachi character. |
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love for the self-exiled daughter of the East, and shone with words that
declared absolute faith in their leader by Benazir Bhutto's supporters.
Everywhere one turned, was a promise of rozgar, the announcement of roti,
kapra aur makaan. Weeks before October 18, the walls, skyline and PPP
supporters in Karachi welcomed Benazir Bhutto. A day before her arrival,
supporters from all over the country rallied around her residence in
Clifton, welcoming anyone they thought was a friend with smiles and chants,
celebrating a new era of democracy in Pakistan, led by their beloved leader.
one small, and a bigger one, that eventually claimed the lives of 135 people
by the next morning and left more than 500 hundred people injured. Memories
hurtled back through time as scars from the last politically oriented rally
in Karachi on May 12 became painfully fresh. It had taken two days to claim
over 40 lives on the days retagged as Black Saturday and Grey Sunday, and
just mere minutes to kill people many times that amount on October 18.
Ordinance, under which all corruption charges against her had been dropped,
has been dubbed by the lady herself as a first step to restoration of
democracy. However, there are thousands of stomachs made queasy across the
provincial capital of Sindh, as they view what can be a prototype of the
price to be paid for 'restoration of democracy' in Pakistan.
hundreds of banners welcoming her to the city where her opposition reigns,
and called for peace and agreements with a pigeon perched on her shoulder.
Hours later, she fled to safety amid burnt dead bodies, blood, crushed heads
and broken limbs of hundreds of jiyalas who were punished by some unknown
forces for celebrating their leader's return after eight long years.
negligible congestion on the roads, parks and gardens under construction,
and good private schools to send their children to.
numbered unit system that Latifabad does, but instead is divided into blocks
and has been recognized according to union council (UC) members, since
establishment of the local government in 2001.
central offices of Sindhi nationalist parties and non-governmental
organizations. The representatives of these NGOs feel good atmosphere,
spacious houses and roads is the main reason for housing the offices here.
our cell phones while driving. Had it not been for the white suited eagles
perched on motorcycles along the roads, most of us would not even be as 'law
abiding' as we like believing we are.