As soon as the clocks struck midnight to mark the turn of the year to 2013, revellers broke out in aerial firing and dancing across Pakistan.
However, the mood quickly turned sour as the celebratory firing claimed the life of one person, and injured six others Express News reported.
The aerial firing followed after what was touted as strict measures to curb untoward incidents. This included a ban on pillion riding, ban on wheelies and the closure of the Sea View road, a popular venue for revellers and motorsport enthusiasts.
However, many of these restrictions were openly flouted as citizens chose to express themselves.
The government had retracted its earlier decision to suspend cell phone services through the evening of December 31, 2012 to the morning of January 1, 2013.
Aerial firing was reported from other cities of Pakistan too including Hyderabad and Lahore among other cities.
Many people also broke out in traditional dances, bhangra, to the beat of drums despite the cold in Islamabad.
COMMENTS (19)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
In spite of all the violence and poor governance, Karachi's KSE-100 index surged nearly 50% (37% in US $ terms) in 2012 to top all Asian market indices. It was followed by Bangkok's SET index which advanced 36%. It also easily beat India's Sensex index which was the top performer among BRICs with 25.19% annual gain.
A string of strong earnings announcements by Karachi Stock Exchange listed companies and the Central Bank's rate cuts helped the KSE-100 index approach 17,000 level, a gain of 49.84% (37% in US dollar terms). In spite of this run-up in KSE-100, Andrew Brudenell, manager of the HSBC Frontier Markets fund (HSFAX) in London, remains bullish on Pakistani equities, according to Barron's. Pakistan is one of the cheapest markets he follows, at about seven times earnings. He notes that earnings growth has kept pace with the market. The firms, he adds, are typically cash-rich, boast strong return on equity levels in the 20% range, and pay good dividends.
http://www.riazhaq.com/2012/12/pakistani-shares-beat-asian-and-bric.html
@Shalini: Thank you.
Happy new year to you too
happy New Year 2013
Happy New Year
Judging by the number of gunshots fired yesterday, seems like every Tom DICK and Harry has a gun nowadays. Bet 90 percent of them were mobile thieves or burglars.
IDIOTS!
Happy new year everyone!
Some idiots did resort to celebratory firing, but that is not the preferred mode of celebration for educated people in the country. Every place has its black sheep.
The Pakistanis on the Express Tribune (both writers and comment writers) are such nice people, apart from the occasional PTI and other Islamist trolls. They accept genuine criticism of their country, even of their country's founding and founder, and are compassionate toward Pakistani religious minorities. I wish Express Tribune had an Urdu edition. Anyway Happy New Year!!!
we are an entertainment starved nation. So we resort to uncivilized mode of entertainement to kill our hunger.
Why not donate fireworks money to hospitals?
Why would you fire a gun to celebrate a happy (even though imagined) occasion?
Unless you believe that a device such as gun, whose only purpose is to take a man's life (there's not other purpose for a gun, pistol-whipping is only a secondary use :) ), is somehow considered to be a source of entertainment (like crackers, sweets, songs, dances).
Any society that considers a gun as a source of entertainment is sick to the core.
@Asif Budd who writes "Gunfire should be condemned , no matter what the cause."
Gun firing is not a thing to be condemned, it should be abolished. It should be made illegal with severe punishment for the offenders. Also, all legal and illegal guns should be taken out of the society unless there's an absolute necessity, as is, in very rare cases.
From my house in Mumbai, I have a view of Jinnah's bungalow. Jinnah and idea of Pakistan always seemed bizarre to me, as a non-practicing Hindu, but that won't stop me wishing Pakistanis a HAPPY NEW YEAR! Let's hope Pakistan becomes more peaceful, prosperous and perhaps eventually even a secular country.
Happy new year to all Pakistani brothers and sisters.
@Indian:
Thanks mate. Same to you.
But come on man , India s cool too. You got a silicon valley you know !!!
As an Indian I will say that even though there is lots of violence in Karachi, etc., Pakistan is WAY superior to India in one thing: basic city planning and grid or planned layout of the city. Look at Karachi or Islamabad on Google Maps. Proper grid planning and layout, unlike Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata or Pune... Only Delhi and Chandigarh and Navi Mumbai are planned... SHAME ON INDIAN GOVERNMENT for allowing totally chaotic, haphazard, unplanned city layouts to emerge... that's one thing that can't be changed later, either... 25 years from today even if India is 5 times richer than Pakistan per capita, say, Pakistani cities will still be better planned and more livable and easier to navigate... Probably it's because Pakistan is less dense and has lots of these Defence Housing Authority things... Anyway Congratulations to Pakistan on this and Happy New Year
I am sorry but I will have to "CRITICALLY DISAGREE" with the headline/title/heading of this article.
"PAKISTAN WELCOMES 2013 with gunfire "
Our country Pakistan , its constitution and our modern vision is not responsible for what some stupid people do.
Some people in Pakistan welcomed 2013 with gunfire . NOT PAKISTAN.
Gunfire should be condemned , no matter what the cause.
Wake up you people at TRIBUNE !!
What is it with Pakistanis and the aerial firing?
There is a reason why Pakistan is one of the worst places to live in..!