Karachi: My baby shot me down

Pakistan took baby steps towards democracy this year. Hope was revived as new leaders were sworn in and old faces bowed out. A 16-year-old held the world captive with the power of her words. Art found its lost voice.

Yet, the country remained racked by terrorism. Inflation and rolling blackouts continued to punctuate conversations. Too often, a child took a bullet not meant for him. Living became a privilege as most made peace with surviving. But what if the year had taken a different course? What would the country look like? How would we feel? We take you through a slightly different version of 2013. Loaded with imagination, humour, hope and a big fat what if…

Disclaimer: All characters and events in this report, even those based on real people and events are fictional. Any opinion expressed here is not meant to hurt any feelings and should be taken in good spirit.



What would happen if the love story between Karachi and its people was far simpler?

Citizen meets city, and they fall desperately in love — before you know it, you’re changing your current location on Facebook, you’re picking out your dream apartment from the classified section of the Sunday newspaper, and your wedding invitation has a picture of you at Sea View at dusk, running towards the water in a flurry of red and gold. Is a love story without conflict worth reading? Is a city without friction worth exploring? Would Karachi remain if the complexity were taken away?

Perhaps our dreams would change if the future was not mired in uncertainty and our identities would shift if we were not always labeled ‘resilient’ and ‘brave’. Maybe the beat of our footsteps would ring louder if every commute were seamless and every open road were not paved with a lingering distrust. Maybe we would sleep more soundly if every loud noise were not met with suspicion. Perhaps we would find complexity in other places, in the currents of the sea, or the heavy mist of the morning light. Would the love alter if the story played out differently?

Our story fluctuated, sank and soared over the past year. Sometimes, it ended in tragedy, sometimes, it ended in triumph — but more often than not, it remained incomplete, always keeping the reader guessing, always leaving just a small indication that we may continue to come back again tomorrow, to tell another story, to face another hurdle, and to maybe, fall in love all over again.

And so while our narratives remain unsteady, and our future continues to invite obscurity, I can testify that some things remain constant irrespective of how the story plays out. That regardless of the ‘what ifs’ and the ‘if onlys’, regardless of the dips and the rises, regardless of how many times the falsafa may change, the mohabbat will always remain the same.

The writer works in animation and is a part-time blogger. She can be reached at [e-mail]

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, December 29th, 2013.