A.Rafay
ELITE MEMBER
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2012
- Messages
- 11,400
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- Country
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Karachi
What exactly happened on Saturday? A strike? Not really. A protest? Maybe. But by whom? Well, nobody claimed anything, save for reports that a bunch of Namaloom Afraad (unidentified men) had suddenly sprung into action and turned the city spooky-silent in no time.
On Friday night, the Namaloom Afraad roamed the streets shutting down shops and fuel stationsincluding the tiniest of Paan shopsleaving millions hankering for bread, milk and medicines. People remained deprived of such essentials for much of the next day, yet those on the streets were not told why they had to put with this pain. They only had a vague inkling that something had happened which should not have happened.
It is not that often these days to find the Namaloom Afraad tightening their noose around the city with such a harsh grip. Even Paan shops, restaurants and medical stores which often enjoy immunity during strikes and protests were closed on a day when there was no official announcement of a strike or protest by any political or religious party.
Even the residents of affluent Defence and Clifton felt the pinch. All the main markets in the upmarket areas were shut down by the same Namaloom Afraad.
One couldnt help suppress some shameful schadenfreude on this development watching the safest of the safe dragged into the daily political reality of the city.
Since Friday night, the city looked practically haunted. Even streetlights were turned off for some reason, making the city look more eerie than usual.
Households became victims of unexpected calamities suddenly, a dinner became a precious meal that required some effort to put together. Finding Easyloads brought loads of difficulties. And if you were a smoker, finding a cigarette was next to impossible.
And those who had relied on their hunch, deducing the average time theyd have to stand in queues before gas stations were shut, found themselves doomed as gas stations were shut down hours before the deadline.
On Saturday morning, the first chilly breeze of winter was felt in Karachi. The weather came as a saviour. But the emptiness remained. Only those who were wise or lucky to get fuel for their vehicles the previous night were visible on the streets.
But there were still areas in Karachi where the Namaloom Afraad did not succeed in coercing the traders into closing their shops.
Areas that managed to remain practically indifferent to the unannounced curfew.
The tale of two cities made one think about the current political debate on the city: talk about chalking out new electoral boundaries. While it is too early to predict what shape the proposed boundaries would eventually take, one cannot ignore the fact that Karachi, in the past few years, has evolved in such a way that the so-called boundaries are now very much naturally drawn. One just had to roam around the city on a bike on a day like Saturday to discover that. That is, if you had enough fuel in your tank.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-4-148588-Namaloom-Afraad
What exactly happened on Saturday? A strike? Not really. A protest? Maybe. But by whom? Well, nobody claimed anything, save for reports that a bunch of Namaloom Afraad (unidentified men) had suddenly sprung into action and turned the city spooky-silent in no time.
On Friday night, the Namaloom Afraad roamed the streets shutting down shops and fuel stationsincluding the tiniest of Paan shopsleaving millions hankering for bread, milk and medicines. People remained deprived of such essentials for much of the next day, yet those on the streets were not told why they had to put with this pain. They only had a vague inkling that something had happened which should not have happened.
It is not that often these days to find the Namaloom Afraad tightening their noose around the city with such a harsh grip. Even Paan shops, restaurants and medical stores which often enjoy immunity during strikes and protests were closed on a day when there was no official announcement of a strike or protest by any political or religious party.
Even the residents of affluent Defence and Clifton felt the pinch. All the main markets in the upmarket areas were shut down by the same Namaloom Afraad.
One couldnt help suppress some shameful schadenfreude on this development watching the safest of the safe dragged into the daily political reality of the city.
Since Friday night, the city looked practically haunted. Even streetlights were turned off for some reason, making the city look more eerie than usual.
Households became victims of unexpected calamities suddenly, a dinner became a precious meal that required some effort to put together. Finding Easyloads brought loads of difficulties. And if you were a smoker, finding a cigarette was next to impossible.
And those who had relied on their hunch, deducing the average time theyd have to stand in queues before gas stations were shut, found themselves doomed as gas stations were shut down hours before the deadline.
On Saturday morning, the first chilly breeze of winter was felt in Karachi. The weather came as a saviour. But the emptiness remained. Only those who were wise or lucky to get fuel for their vehicles the previous night were visible on the streets.
But there were still areas in Karachi where the Namaloom Afraad did not succeed in coercing the traders into closing their shops.
Areas that managed to remain practically indifferent to the unannounced curfew.
The tale of two cities made one think about the current political debate on the city: talk about chalking out new electoral boundaries. While it is too early to predict what shape the proposed boundaries would eventually take, one cannot ignore the fact that Karachi, in the past few years, has evolved in such a way that the so-called boundaries are now very much naturally drawn. One just had to roam around the city on a bike on a day like Saturday to discover that. That is, if you had enough fuel in your tank.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-4-148588-Namaloom-Afraad
