In the heart of darkness: ‘Halt! Who goes there?’

Lyari’s residents say their relatives don’t come to the area as they fear being interrogated.

KARACHI: For over two decades, a metallic eagle atop a 20-foot pillar at Ibrahim Chowk has guarded the entrance to the heart of Lyari, keeping watch on all ‘outsiders’ valiant - or foolish - enough to slip past it into the labyrinth of narrow lanes. It isn’t alone in its vigil.

When night falls, opaque darkness devours some parts of Lyari, including Bhagdadi, Chakiwara and Kalakot. This is when men, with TT pistols tucked casually in their pants like accessories, come out to guard their turf in groups of four.

Over at the other end of the locality, near the outskirts of Agra Taj Colony, you could stand on what would feel like the brink of civilisation and gaze at the vast expanse of blackness obscuring Ali Muhamamd Muhalla and Moosa Lane behind it from view. From within its recesses, the ‘guardians’ silently stare back - alert, armed, aggressive.



If you observe long enough, you will notice dim lights occasionally flickering on and off. This is because the men use Morse code to communicate with one another. When vehicles prepare to enter the blanket of darkness, the driver too must communicate through the headlights, sending a burst of flashes in a particular sequence in order to pass through safely. A failure to do this may turn the silent specters into violent poltergeists.

Sometimes, the residents are tailed back to their homes if they enter the area after 10pm. A resident of Alfalah Road, who was too ‘shy’ to reveal his name, said, “Now when I know I’ll be out in the city late into the night, I take my son with me so that they don’t stop and pester me. They don’t question you as much if you have a child with you.”

While talking to The Express Tribune, Sheraz Ahmed, another resident of Lyari said, “Our relatives and friends stopped visiting us a couple of years ago. Armed men stop people and interrogate them. They obviously don’t like the harassment so they don’t bother coming here at all. Things are much better nowadays, but we still feel caged here.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 23^rd, 2013.