The writer is a neurologist by profession. His novel Breath of Death — a medical thriller set in Karachi — was recently published by Chlorophyll (New Delhi)
The one thing you don’t have is peace. You are in perpetual chaos, suffering a chronic uncertainty and a restless urgency. Villains are roaming your streets, vultures are circling the air above you. There are vermin picking at your flesh, scratching you in the face, poking you in the eye. Karachi, you have been left bleeding and we are bleeding with you.
People call you all sorts of names. They say you are unruly, unforgiving, unkempt, unrefined. They say you are lawless, crime-ridden, miserable and decrepit. They say you are deceitful and decadent. People are forever casting aspersions on your character. But these name-callers fail to understand you. They neglect the reality of your many tragedies, the sabotaging of your many hopes.
Karachi, your reality is that you are suffering deeply. You are trapped in a trauma of torture and torment. You begin each day in agony and you end it in ignominy. With each new dawn, there are fresh kidnappings, renewed extortion and another wave of snatchings and muggings.
This is not the time for us to push you away. This is the time for us to hold you close. At this most disturbing moment in your life, we must embrace you. We must pacify you, stroke your back, smooth your ruffled hair. You need our love, Karachi, not our venom and vitriol. This is the time when we must pour out our tenderness for you. We must open our hearts and let the warmth flow into your weapon-laden streets, into your drains and ditches stained with injustice, into your dwellings draped in dishonour, into your water reeking of tragedy, into your mud rancid with misfortune.
Karachi, we cannot let you wither. You mean so much, in so many ways, to so many people. In 1947, you were home to less than half a million. Today that figure has swelled fifty-fold. Today, you are a fountain of wealth, an engine of business, a nexus of commerce. You are home to every stripe of Pakistani, speaking every language that the varied peoples of this nation speak. They have come from villages, towns and cities scattered across our blessed land. You have also attracted migrants from all corners of South Asia — India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and even Myanmar. Yes, many have left you too, but no matter how far they have gone, they still long for you.
You are now the victim of your own success. Everybody wants a piece of your riches and they will go to great lengths for it. They will kill to claim your territory and taste your affluence. And they will do it by hook or by crook. They will metastasise into mafias and gangs. They will wield arms. They will think nothing of destroying peace and crushing the innocent. There is an enormity at stake, which sadly ensures that the dark forces will stop at nothing. This is a horrendous ordeal for you, Karachi, but it is not timeless. You are not the only city to be ensnared in a spasm of lawlessness and crime. History is witness that some of the finest metropolises of the world — London, Chicago, New York, Rio de Janeiro, Beirut — were, at one time, unlivable. The likes of London and Chicago reformed long ago, but in the case of Rio and Beirut, the transformation has been very recent. The lesson is that circumstances change. Geopolitical dynamics improve, laws get enshrined and implemented, and a stable political culture evolves. It’s been done before. Karachi, we know that you can do it too. We know that you will.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 7th, 2013.
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Great! Crying as i read the complete article, but hope is there...IA
@The Reader: I have been living in Karachi for the past 5 years and unlike most of my comrades, I have the privilege to live in the best area here which is still comparatively safe from incessant load shedding, water, shortage/contamination , general unrest etc. Yet I think that we Karachiite are continually being raped and physically abused by this city … We don’t deserve this…Our children do not deserve this. We (everyone I know) pay our taxes and bills on time. We work hard to get degrees but the unemployment rates are so high. Even if we do get a decent job, the pay is not enough to sustain in this city. We try to keep the city clean and adhere to laws as much as we can. I have lived abroad for many years and I know that we are not as uncultured as everybody thinks. We are just stuck in a very unfortunate city. I don’t understand how educated and well-read people like you, Dr Shafqat, can manage to turn a blind eye to this. You must be a great person to be able to love your abuser. Though I do smell a Stockholm syndrome there. I don’t love this city, though I have a lot of compassion for the people who live here and I feel bad that we and our children are being denied the basic necessities of life.
Enjoyed reading from the start to end. Though I don't live in Pakistan any more, I relived all the moments I spent in Karachi while reading it. I miss Apna Karachi.
It actually takes one to spend quite some time outside Khi and realize all of this...beautifully reflected sir!
@raj: then Dharavi in mumbai is the copy shangai...
@Vakil: y you guyz are so jealous of our country go built toilets for your people first
brilliant...simply brilliant
@raj : FYI, Karachi is an alpha city. Orangi, still has proper sewage, and running water in their homes, unlike 60% of india.
@raj: Dude, I am not going to argue with you about Karachi in her current state, but I know that she will bounce back. I don't know which city you call home, but Karachi was a pearl of the Asian cities up until late 80's. I have been traveling to Bombay and Delhi since mid 70's, and there was NO COMPETITION between those cities and Karachi. SO brace yourself all non Karachites because the city will come back one day, like NYC did in mid 90's, and you guys will be left grinding your teeth.
It should have been written in easy English, is there any need to use such kind of vocab for us to understand the meaning of this article?
A very well written article , Karachi my hometown will survive & progress Inshallah.
I can't stop admiring of your write-ups...not just for Cricket, but more for those generous messages you leave behind each time you hold a pen...!
The opening para reminded me of "eye to eye" lyrics!
Whatever heights this great city is destined for........Lahore will get there first!
Well written! Thank you for reminding me of the beauty of my city!
@Fahad.: just like females are not safe in any city of pakistan considering the recent rapes and karachi orangi is the largest slum in the world.... u guys dont even have decent buses in ur cities forget mass transit system that is out of ur dreams....lol :) karachi and dhaka feature among least livable cities..... no city in pakistan can ever be called an alpha city.....
One can never be really sure about mayhem statistic, because the various authorities try to fudge the figures in order to make them look better. However, plus or minus a relatively small figure Karachi compares reasonable well with many US cities. Whether that is good or bad I do not know. In any event I seem to recall 007 agent James Bond was rather fond of Karachi. That was praise indeed.
@Talha Rizvi: Are you for real? Your hinting of ethnically cleansing Karachi to transform it into a property of Urdu Speakers, your earlier points talk of expelling migrants from North of Karachi, yet you want to bring a million biharis over and already shake up a delicate ethnic balance here, their foreigners now, people from anywhere in Pakistan have a right to settle here. You Mqm sympathising lot should stop treating Karachi as a property of the UP and Bihar walas who are yet to call themselves Pakistani.
@Vakil:
Perhaps you are not from Karachi hence you dont know Karchi like the Karachittes know...You need to be born in Karachi to feel the love...I can say I have lived in enough cities to say the author is spot-on...Karachi will always be home...till the end of time....Being away only makes you long for it..and being there makes you sad and angry at letting go of such a place in the world to such...No country in the world and no city in any country is a safe place to live....and sadly that is the time we live in....that will be our legacy.....
Here is my take for peace in Karachi. 1) Expel all illegal immigrants starting with the Afghanis who are responsible for every thing from extortion, Kidnapping, Terrorism, Petty crimes and land grabbing. Then the Bengalis who are involved in prostitution, crimes and human smuggling. We have seen how the Afghanis and the Bangladeshis like M.Emad post hateful comments duly supported by our neighbors from East. They should be sent back to their countries by force if necessary. 2) Repeat this process for all illegal immigrants including those from brotherly muslim countries. We have enough problems of our own. 3) The people of Karachi need to realize that we are a part of Sindh and talks of treating us a separate entity is harmful. Our sindhi brothers need to realize that the Muhajirs are a part of the city and they should be given their due rights for prosperity of Sindh. 4) All displaced people who have settled in the city since the last decade should be resettled in their original areas to prevent any more damage to the city's civic structure. Opportunities should be provided in South Punjab as the majority of current immigrants are from that region. 5) The arms in Karachi are obviously coming from outside block those supply routes and send the arms traffickers to the gallows. 6) Diversity of Karachi should be appreciated and some people should stop trying to mold Karachi in the intolerance image of their homelands. 7)Their should be fair operation in this city which will target Taliban, Land Grabbers, Ethnic and terrorist powers and the sectarian organization. 8) Karachi should be stopped being used as an experiment for various experiments by the establishment. This includes the patronage of Sectarian parties, a certain party, some sections of Gang war and as storage unit for Barbarians from our western neighbor. also if a certain man from our most favorite neighbor to the east is indeed in Karachi then he should be extradited to said country or atleast thrown out of here. 9) Sectarian problem was brought to karachi by settlers from North. It's no coincidence that almost all sectarian mullahs are from there regardless of their sect. There was no Shia sunni problem in Undivided India except Lucknow. These people should be brought to the book if there is to be peace in Karachi. 10) Karachi should start receiving a fair share from national exchequer which should stop it's sense of deprivation. 11) If 1&2 are followed this will decrease the percentage of Non-Sindhis in Karachi and Sindh which will result in a positive impact on inter ethnic relation. That being said we seriously need to bring back the Biharis who are stranded in Bangladesh. This will remove the blot on out Face due to our insensitivity and will also ensure that we get the blessings of a hapless and highly patriotic people. Regards a Karachite.
My brother was robbed at gunpoint. Maybe Karachi will survive but without me.
Mr.Saad you have matched my love for this great city, Karachi. Karachi is her to survive and progress. I own this city with all its vices and virtues.
My advice to the author. Stick to and concentrate on your day job.
@Vakil: You sir, are definetly part of the problem. What an asinine thing to say. That is the whole point of this article. That things change, but not on their own. It takes effort and commitment. But lets just subscribe to your worldview and write the whole country off.
this is very beautifully written
Vakil probably thinks that new delhi, is the world's safest city for women and, bombay, a slumless advanced city. Quite delusional pretty much like everyone in his state..
Gotham City will survive...
That's all that is needed. Nothing more, nothing less.
@Vakil: Stop whining... Maybe you are not familiar with the situation Rio was in.
@Mehran:
Believe it or not, not too long ago (circa 2005-2006), many Karachiites really did believe that in a decade or two their city would rise back up to its 1960s glory days and once again become a world-class international city. That was until dear PPP took over under its "Give Karachi back to Sindhis" slogan and everything went into the gutter. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Sindhis, but MQM - even with all its faults - is arguably the only party in the country that truly owns Karachi like its home.
NY, London and Chicago got where they are now after centuries of political history and several decisive wars - they're far-fetched examples to compare to. Beirut might be a more apt example - a cosmopolitan, very diverse and segmented city that is in a highly volatile region and was in an all-out civil war just two decades ago, yet now it is on its way to becoming one of the Middle East's biggest economic hubs. But still, reaching that point without an all-out civil war requires immense willpower and resolution on both local and national levels, as well as on part of the military - are our institutions up to the task?
To be fair to Karachi, it's murder rate is still easily lower than Rio's, which remains the deadliest megacity in the world (cities of over 10 million).
Karachi's murder rate is also lower than that of Mexico City and Sao Paulo, who take second and third spots. It is still higher than Chicago however (not quite a megacity, but close), which shows it isn't the safest place on the globe.
Mr. Shafqat, your observations are spot on ... as one born in Karachi at Nagori Hospital circa 1954, with parents who emigrated from Uttar Pradesh, having seen the carnage that Partition brought, as one whose family straddles India and Pakistan and England and U.S. and other parts of the globe, there is no doubting that the Shehr Karachi lives within us and without us ...
The business activity in Karachi -the heartland of Sindh and Sindhis has attracted many people from every nook and corner of south Asia thanks to uncontrolled migration (both legal and illegal) since 1947. Neither there is a proper infrastructure to cater to the needs of rising population, nor there is effective governance to control rising crime rate. All illegal immigrants must be sent back to their countries, illegal weapons must be seized, the Sufi and peacceful culture of Sindh should be projected in Karachi.
thank you for writing such a beautiful ode to karachi.......ever loved and much missed hometown for countless overseas pakistanis like myself
I have a Dream kind a article .... amen...
Comparing the likes of London, Chicago, New York, Rio de Janeiro, Beirut .. etc etc.. with Karachi... yes indeed, good joke my dear author! Don't forget one very important bit of detail... and that is that NONE of these cities that you have mentioned were ever part of a "country" called Pakistan! Enough said....