Thoughts From Karachi

Post-12th May Karachi hasn’t fully recovered yet, but the aftermaths are striking. On May 12th the port cosmopolitan of Pakistan, Karachi, a great and seething market, returned to violence that has scarred its modern image and history. Some 40 people were killed and hundreds were injured in two days of street fighting.

I was in Karachi for two days. I came out of Jinnah International Airport with lots of apprehension. When my vehicle traveled through Shahrah-e-Faisal, the ghost images of 12th May, which I saw on private TV channels were vivid in my mind. But on that day, instead of bullets, dead bodies, wounds, bloods, gun-shots, masked men, there were normal people going about their business. The look on their faces was grim, and most of them were looking over their shoulders.

But there wasn’t a shade of resigned look on their faces. They knew that they are the backbone of this country, and if they go down, the whole country would go down. They knew that, they are the herald of Pakistan, and the whole country follows them. The Punjab, Balochistan and NWFP, all look towards Sindh to lead. 12th May’s repercussions ran across the country. We all in Punjab, Balochistan and NWFP felt the impact.

But my apprehension vanished as I saw the passion of Karachities. They weren’t budging and they weren’t afraid of anyone. They were adamant and fearless in the face of subjugation, terror and intrigue. They have risen above the differences and they all want to lead the normal life, and bring Karachi the title of city of lights, even during the 10-hour long load shedding.