A Karachiite’s dilemma
Karachi does not let you live. Where are the law enforcers? Where are the politicians? Is anyone listening?
Do you believe Pakistan is an unsafe country? Do you think your life is at risk every second you are here? But wait, surprise surprise, that’s not the case in the whole of Pakistan, more than half of those incidents occur in the great city of chaos: Karachi.
The feeling of security and peace is unheard of when it comes to this city. Most people will share this feeling and the ones who don’t are simply in denial. How secure do I feel while being a citizen of Karachi? Not much, I guess.
This wasn’t a recent insight or epiphany I had; I suppose my trip to Punjab this summer caused me to change my stance towards Karachi, it changed how I viewed life, how I viewed myself and how I viewed this ‘happening’ city. Most of us have been living in this city for quite a long time, so for us there is little escape from this tense environment. We have now gotten used to the daily shootings, the bomb blasts, the unpredictable strikes and the snatchings of mobile phones.
This summer, I actually experienced what a different world lies beyond the city of Karachi when I visited my grandmother in Punjab. It is a whole new world in Punjab, with the beautiful green sights and clean, smooth roads. The most remarkable thing is that living there is peaceful; you feel safe.
I know what you must be thinking: who would prefer the heat of Punjab over the breezy Karachi weather? Who would opt for the never ending load-shedding in Punjab to the relatively reliable power supply of Karachi? Call me crazy, but I am willing to take all of that while living in Punjab, the one thing I can’t take anymore is the stifling sense of insecurity.
I travelled to Lahore, Islamabad, Muree and Gujranwala. I would walk around in the streets freely in the evenings, all by myself, but I can’t remember the last time I did that in Karachi. My brother, with a cousin of his, would cycle around the whole day and not for a minute did I have to worry about why he wasn’t home yet or if everything was okay.
If this is what city life means then I have somewhat had enough, I have been subjected to numerous robberies in my home as well as mugging on the streets. Karachi does not let you live. Where are the law enforcers? Where are the politicians? Is anyone listening?
Published in The Express Tribune, July 11th, 2014.
The feeling of security and peace is unheard of when it comes to this city. Most people will share this feeling and the ones who don’t are simply in denial. How secure do I feel while being a citizen of Karachi? Not much, I guess.
This wasn’t a recent insight or epiphany I had; I suppose my trip to Punjab this summer caused me to change my stance towards Karachi, it changed how I viewed life, how I viewed myself and how I viewed this ‘happening’ city. Most of us have been living in this city for quite a long time, so for us there is little escape from this tense environment. We have now gotten used to the daily shootings, the bomb blasts, the unpredictable strikes and the snatchings of mobile phones.
This summer, I actually experienced what a different world lies beyond the city of Karachi when I visited my grandmother in Punjab. It is a whole new world in Punjab, with the beautiful green sights and clean, smooth roads. The most remarkable thing is that living there is peaceful; you feel safe.
I know what you must be thinking: who would prefer the heat of Punjab over the breezy Karachi weather? Who would opt for the never ending load-shedding in Punjab to the relatively reliable power supply of Karachi? Call me crazy, but I am willing to take all of that while living in Punjab, the one thing I can’t take anymore is the stifling sense of insecurity.
I travelled to Lahore, Islamabad, Muree and Gujranwala. I would walk around in the streets freely in the evenings, all by myself, but I can’t remember the last time I did that in Karachi. My brother, with a cousin of his, would cycle around the whole day and not for a minute did I have to worry about why he wasn’t home yet or if everything was okay.
If this is what city life means then I have somewhat had enough, I have been subjected to numerous robberies in my home as well as mugging on the streets. Karachi does not let you live. Where are the law enforcers? Where are the politicians? Is anyone listening?
Published in The Express Tribune, July 11th, 2014.