Cyclone Phet update

Cyclone “Phet” which means diamond has been on the mind of Karachiites for the past day or so, it started as a category 3 storm and has turned into a category 4 with winds up to 130 miles per hour.  Thankfully it has in the last hour turned towards Oman as apparent from the picture…

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Jandullah, Jamaat and Al-Queda

By Ali K.Chishti Recently, the Karachi Police had found an organization named, “Jandullah” for the terror attack cum bombing on the Moharram Ashura procession killing more than forty-five people in Karachi. The name Jandullah was previously linked to a similar organization based in Baluchistan who had carried out attacks in Iranian Baluchistan and another organization…

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Devils at your Door

A week back I was sitting in the waiting area of a popular pediatrician’s clinic with my 3 year old niece. This clinic is located in a very popular hospital in the Clifton vicinity and is always crowded. I was waiting and trying to entertain my niece who was very upset at being taken to…

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Let the street speak

December was a very scary month for the city of Karachi, thank god we are past it now but the scars will linger on for a number of years. The scars are obviously due to the horrendous attack on the 10th muharram juloos of the shiate community and the carnage that resulted thereof as 3…

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Life in the bomb lane

Its very very hard to stay focused in a country like Pakistan. Not so long ago in the ending weeks of 2009 I wrote a very upbeat cheery article about the incoming new year and how Karachi was going to celebrate it. On the 10th of Muharram, that article and any future hopes of celebration…

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Rally for peace

Five score and thirty years ago a boy was born to a middle class family who had just moved from their first lodging in a new Pakistan (kharadar) to a more leafier suburb of Karachi. It had taken this family about 27 years to get into the position of owning the house they were moving…

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Chaos in Karachi

Its been two days since the explosion which took place in the procession taken out by the shia community on the 10th of moharram.  43 people have been declared dead up till now, this is despite the fact that the suicide bomber was stopped by a scout and a ranger both of whom lost their…

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Hp bloggers meetup

Dec 13th saw the blogger community of Karachi gather with great gusto for the Hp bloggers meet up. An event  scheduled at par with the launch of the new Hp mini series in Pakistan and a discussion forum on how to sell/market the product better. The event was organized by the Emagine group who were…

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The dictators wife returns!

A play by Mohammed Hanif Devised and performed by Nimra Bucha Arts Council, Karachi. 10/11 December. 8pm. Tickets available at Espresso, Liberty Books and at the venue on the night. ________________________________________ what people are saying… “Bucha comes across as a crazy mix of Eva Peron and Imelda Marcos… energetic, vivid, and compelling” (The Friday Times)…

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SWO & Unifem celebrate 16 days against domestic violence!!

These are testing times for women in Pakistan. The country ranks 106th out of 137 on the Gender-related Development Index and 66th out of 75 on the Gender Empowerment Measurement Index. Despite religious, constitutional and legal rights, women’s position in the society is weak. With each passing day, conditions are getting miserable as women are…

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