This article in Dawn Images this Sunday 20 May 2007 on the Karachi trauma from last week was a good read. A tribute to the spirit, people and national value of Karachi, the Jewel in the Crown.
God bless Pakistan, the people of Pakistan, this vibrant city and its people, and the never say die spirit.
http://dawn.com/weekly/images/images5.htm
I will survive
By Mohsin Sayeed
Gaee yak bayak jo hawa palat keh na dil ko mere qarar hai*
- Karoon gham sitam ka main kya bayan mera gham se seena figar hai*
Nothing describes present day Karachi and its citizens’ emotions better than the above verse by the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar
We are again suspended in the abyss of fear, paranoia and uncertainty. It seems Karachis destiny is similar to pre-British Raj Delhi’s — the historic city was destroyed, annihilated seven times before it became stable. Now, similar tales of destruction, bloodshed, callousness, misery and helplessness colour Karachis cityscape. And we don’t have literary giants like Khawaja Hasan Nizami and Zafar to narrate the woes.
Baat karni mujhe mushkil kabhi aisee toh na thi
Nonetheless, I will still try to tell the story of a ravaged city. But who is listening? It seems no one but us, the denizens of this resilient city. And that’s all that matters. Recently, a friend had a Greek journalist friend visiting Karachi and he asked what was worth seeing in the city. We racked our brains, trying to come up with places which could hold some attraction for a foreigner and miserably failed. And then like a flash the answer came to me: “People,” I exclaimed. Karachis spirit amazes me. Whatever the circumstances are its spirit lives on, moves on, always in search of a better tomorrow, always optimistic. And that spirit comes from its people.
We have been witnessing a tirade of violence since 1985. It peaked during 1990s when Karachi went through its most violent phase. Had it been any other city in Pakistan, it would have all but died or turned into a ghost town. Even New York was brought to its knees and London came to a standstill in recent times. But not Karachi. And that is what annoys the perpetrators of this senseless violence. Karachi refuses to die.
Often people from other cities, especially Lahore, argue that no one loves Karachi and even Karachiites are not sincere to their city. I would say Karachiites have a strange, almost human relationship, with their hometown which no one else will be able to understand. We love our city and we hate our city. We can’t stand it yet we can’t live with or without it. When we are away from it we miss its dirt, dust, pot-holed streets, its energy. We all agree that it’s ugly, monstrous, difficult, but it loves us back; it welcomes everyone with open arms. Karachi is like an old generation parent who never shows its love and affection in words, but silently remains awake all night for our comfort and safety. People accuse us of being insensitive, of going on about our daily lives and business in a normal manner despite a catastrophe in town. Yes, we do that. This is our way of letting the perpetrators of violence know that we will not let our city die. We will not quit living.
Doesn’t it hurt Karachis mothers to send their children to go sit their examinations when so-called unidentified people are showering bullets on the streets? Doesn’t it hurt families to say goodbye to their bread-earners in the morning? Doesn’t it hurt when so many daily wages earners go to sleep hungry? It does. We are at our wits’ end till our children and family members return home. But we have this strong urge to defy. We want to live and we show our resilience through our normal routines, that we cannot be hushed into submission or silence.
Don’t you think we feel sad when our city burns and our people are killed senselessly on the streets? Do you think we have become so desensitised that nothing affects us? Each bomb blast rattles us. Each death shatters us. Each piece of news of a riot begins a round of frenzied calls. Each burning car destroys our self-created sense of peace. But we can pick up the pieces and resume our lives again because we want to show our children that what’s more important is to brave these hardships and live well. We don’t want to raise a generation of frustrated, disillusioned and pessimistic good-for-nothings. We fight this tyranny with our defiance to live well, and not just survive.
Karachi doesn’t discriminate on the basis of caste, religion or ethnicity. Karachi contributes most to Pakistans economy. It feeds the rest of the country. Small wonder then that everyone rushes to Karachi from all corners of Pakistan as the city welcomes everyone and provides opportunities for growth and prosperity. But it gets nothing or very little in return.
Karachiites are surely the most passionate people in Pakistan. Remember the October 8 earthquake when Karachi opened its hearts and coffers for those who were suffering thousands of miles away? Within hours one of Karachis airbases was filled with aid which required more than 25 C-130s to fly the goods when the organisers initial estimate was that it would need just one C-130. Is it a sign of a desensitised city or a symbol of an emotionally dead people?
We hate it when citizens of other cities call Karachi dangerous. We become enraged when they scoff at our city for being violent and volatile or when they make fun of our street crimes and lack of security. I had an argument with an international fashion organiser for not choosing Karachi as the venue for the upcoming Pakistan Fashion Week. Because what Karachi can do, no other city can. Call it big city snobbery, if you like, but Karachiites are arguably the most liberated, liberal, progressive and enlightened people in the country. We fight against tyranny, oppression and repression. We are the first ones to raise our voices — collective voices — against injustice. Remember Karachi came out to protest against the rising extremism and Iraq war?
The wonderful thing about Karachi is how it gives people not only their space and privacy but also believes in the age old axiom of ‘live and let live’. Don’t dub it as our weakness. We know how to defend our city, our values and our way of life. Yes, perhaps I sound like George W. Bush, but there is a world of difference between his modus opereandi and Karachiites’. We will not let our city be hostage to bigots and we will fight back. But we will fight back with peace, harmony and love. This is because we are the denizens of a city that believes in the power of love.
We have always won in the face of adversity. We will win over and over again, because Karachis spirit remains invincible. The city is defined by its citizens. Optimism is our second nature. We pick up the pieces and work for a peaceful, progressive future. We are a free spirit and nothing can overwhelm us. Faiz sahib immortalised our spirit in his beautiful verse:
Hum dekhain gay, lazim hai ke hum bhi dekhain gay
, can’t believe i left it n came all the way to this filthy n overcrowded new york. It felt so sad when my mum called me up during the recent riots n said 2 me that 
