Oh yaar, such beautiful pictures! Great stuff!
Am I allowed to copy some of those? 
Re: Makran Coastal Highway and Gwadar Trip
sogul this is my camera http://flickr.com/cameras/kodak/z710_zoom/ im not very good at camera settings and learn step by step. i have touched myphotos very briefly using picasa - some people go to extreme lengths using photoshop and they make the photo looking totally unreal. i believe in not distorting photos. i was lucky to be aided by the fact that its much easier to capture good photos in Mekran. I have some photos from other areas and they never come out good. I suppose weather has an affect.
dandaywala what do you mean copy these? canyou please be more elaborate!
omair - thanks!
Mekran is a real utopia - i hope development does not destroy it!
Hungol National Park is on the way... for deviating into the areas around the highway, you need a 4 wheel drive which we did not.
We didn't really know about the hindu temple and didn't want to deviate much since we didn't want to drive along the highway during evening/night.
But you might have crossed the Hingol River! Thats amazing!
The Hingol FAQ - Places - 4x4 Offroaders Club Karachi
a nice informative page for makran coastal highway and hingol river.
dandaywala what do you mean copy these? canyou please be more elaborate!
Yaara Jee I meant, agar aap ki ijazat ho to aap ki photos ko maiN apnay computer maiN save kar sakta hooN? :)
Thanks. Have you been to Mubarak village?
The only issue is that your car has to be very reliable since there is not much of traffic/population/infrastructure on the way. Even your phones won't work!
Yes indeed. We had to retrun back from Ormara in January 2007 after the Hiace Van gave up as soon as it crossed the hills of Hingol.
Thanks. Have you been to Mubarak village?
Nopes!
Re: Makran Coastal Highway and Gwadar Trip
Has anyone been to mubarak village? I hear its a nice place!
Re: Makran Coastal Highway and Gwadar Trip
I have plan to go there before the end of this winter. Mubarak Village is actually located at the mouth of the Hub River Delta and one can view the Churna Island from there.
Re: Makran Coastal Highway and Gwadar Trip
Rural localities of Karachi
By Shamim-ur-Rahman
http://www.dawn.com/2005/05/04/images/fea1.jpg
RECENTLY we had an opportunity to visit the seaside. On a Sunday, we drove up to Mubarak Village, the farthest end of Karachi in the southwest on the Arabian Sea coast. We did not stop at any of the known beaches and instead decided to have a long drive to see what the life is beyond the beaches where people usually come from far flung areas to spend a weekend and enjoy themselves.
As we crossed the octri post and took the road passing through Kakka Village, we noticed a marked change in the structures along the road side. Instead of the old and dilapidated huts, we saw modern luxury complexes where the rich spend long weekends along with their families and friends. These âhutsâ are stuffed with everything needed for making life enjoyable. Water is transported through tankers and electricity is provided through generators.
After crossing the Soomar Village on the Hawkesbay beach, we decided not to proceed to Paradise Point. We rather took a bumpy road leading towards Mubarak Village. On the way, we did not come across any public transport except heavy dumpers loaded with bajri and other material excavated from the banks of Hub River. The excavation had a telling effect on the road, and also some of the culverts and bridges that we negotiated.
Not far from the beaches, where thousands come for enjoyment, those living in different villages on the coastline for generations still have to walk miles away to fetch water, which may not be sweet. There may be a few who can afford bringing a can of drinking water from the city, but such supplies are limited because of non-availability of public transport in the far flung areas. Mostly the supplies in coastal settlements come by boat. Few others get it from wells they have dug on a self-help basis. These villagers also lack electricity, proper schools, health care facilities, etc. During conversation with some local people, we found them very much conscious of their political and civic rights and they didnât mince their words while expressing their views.
In Mubarak Village, we saw some windmill panels which some NGOs have set up to help the local people in generating electricity. As we approached the village we spotted a check âdamâ constructed at a cost of Rs4.6 million and inaugurated by the city nazim in August 2004. There was hardly any water in the pond. Whatever was left in the pond was not fit for human consumption. Some of the locals washing their linens in that water told us that the water was not sweet. This dam was constructed to check the rain water flowing from Hub River into the sea. Not far away, we could see the chimney of Hubco power station near Hub, in Balochistan. But there was no water or electricity in the area. We were reminded of Allama Iqbalâs verses Samandar say milay piasay ko shabnam, bakheeli hai yeh razzaqi naheen hai.
Mubarak Village and other villages in the area fall within the NA-239, Karachi-I from where MMAâs Hakeem Qari Gul Rahman was declared elected. It must have been a real test of transport management as in this constituency, there are many places where one can only reach by boat which is not only time-consuming but also inconvenient.
As we drove back from Mubarak Village, we spotted some people working on a project with mechanical excavator in the wilderness. We took a detour to find out what they were doing. After negotiating the rugged stretch when we reached the spot, we found that a small check dam was being constructed to trap the rain water and the water flowing from various streams into the sea, and create a pond for increasing the sub-soil water table. Eventually, they will construct a well so that water could be pump out to nearby settlements, if possible, through pipes. We spotted Iftekhar Hussain, who could not make it to the National Assembly from this constituency. He was discussing details of this project and the road he got built to Haji Darya Khan goth, besides a schedule for enabling the remaining local people to get their computerized NIC at their door step.
Not far from that spot was another pond, which was dry but enough water had gone down to increase the table of sub-soil water. Beyond the trap wall, a well had been constructed. According to residents, several thousand gallons of water is pumped daily on self-help basis. The water is transported through pipes to designated points in the nearby villages from where residents fill their cans for daily use. When we tasted the water from the can of an old man, it was sweet. Lucky. But he told us that pumping machine remained closed for most of the time because of paucity of funds for diesel oil.
A young man, who identified himself as Rasheed, said he was operating the machine to look after his family. He said that it required five litres of diesel a day to keep the machine operational. The poor local people contribute to the fund off and on for the purpose. The area is located in UC-8 Gabopat, Keamari Town. Rasheed complained that the concerned UC had not been taking any measures to ensure provision of required funds for the pumping station and pay him for sustenance.
But our encounter with Mohammad Qasim, who is a primary schoolteacher in Haji Darya Khan goth, was very revealing because it helped us understand how politically conscious people of the area are, and how jealously they defend their rights. He told us something that appeared thought-provoking.
He gave us a detailed resume of the lack of basic facilities in this far flung area of the countryâs biggest metropolis. But what he told us about the difficulties people of the area had faced in the last general elections was mind-boggling and a matter of concern because the next local bodiesâ elections are not very far away. If same things were repeated again, then people would loose faith in the sanctity of the ballot.
Qasim told us that during the last general elections, in a number of cases polling stations had been set up 10-15 kms away from the place of residence of voters who had to travel by boat from one island to another. Women voters of one island were asked to go to another one to cast their votes. Male voters also had to go through such a hassle. In this context, we were informed that female voters of Manora Cantonment, Ward No. 1, were asked to cast their votes at a polling station of the Ward No. 2, whereas female voters of Ward No. 2 were told to do vice versa. Male voters were asked to go to a polling station in Keamari Town UC-4, in Salehabad.
A sizeable number of female voters of UC-4 Salehabad were told that they could cast their vote at the Government Boysâ Primary School, Yunisabad, some 15 kilometres away from their locality. Similarly, male voters of Yunisabad were sent to Salehabad. More than 1,000 female voters of Muwach Goth were also sent to a government school in Naval Colony, Soomar Goth, Gabopat, located 15 kilometres away from their area.
Same difficulties were faced by the people of other localities of the coastal area where transportation was almost absent. We were wondering how the managers of election could expect anyone to travel 10-15 kilometres away to cast the vote, and why. Such measures are taken only to manipulate elections and subvert sanctity of the ballot.
While driving back, we were only hoping that this time, those who are responsible for holding elections would make sure that such foul play would not be repeated. If they didnât take corrective measures, it would tantamount to subverting democratic process and befooling people. But at what cost?
Re: Makran Coastal Highway and Gwadar Trip
It's be;ieved that Gawdar project will pave way for a Baloch prosperity.
It's be;ieved that Gawdar project will pave way for a Baloch prosperity.
Yes, but its controversial. A lot of Baluchis believe that it is another attempt of Punjabi establishment to exploit their resources. They are correct in a sense that all development projects in the area are under control of either the military or Punjabi/Sindhi businessmen.
I personally witnessed extreme poverty in the province. Until 1990s the only city in Baluchistan (gas supplier to rest of the country) to have access to natural gas was Quetta. There problems with clean water, infrastructure, health, education, and the list goes on. So a lot of grievances the Baluch people have are genuine and we did not do enough to solve them.
But that's a separate issue. May God keep our beautiful country safe.
Re: Makran Coastal Highway and Gwadar Trip
Their leader (sardars) are much to blame for their plight rather people from elsewhere.
Re: Makran Coastal Highway and Gwadar Trip
Mubarak village should be a totally different thread - this thread is dedicated to Mekran. To see some real unseen beauty of Mekran here you go.
Flickr: wetlandsofpakistanâs Photostream
Click the next 10 pages for more photos.
Re: Makran Coastal Highway and Gwadar Trip
Thats really wonderful. Is that all your work newphew TJ?