The area of Karachi (ڪراچي) was known to the ancient Greeks by many names: ‘Krokola’ and ‘Morontobara’ port (probably the modern Manora Island near the Karachi harbour), from where Alexander the Great’s admiral Nearchus sailed for back home. The Arabs called it the port of Debal, from where Muhammad Bin Qasim led his conquering force into Sindh.
Continue reading Karachi, Sindh was known to the ancient GreeksTag Archives: Karachi
History of Sindh
In 1947 Sindh’s total population was more than 5.5 million out of which around 1.5 million were Hindus. Karachi’s population was around 525,000 in 1947 out of which more than 260,000 were Hindus. While Hyderabad had a population of over 170,000 out of which 90,000 were Hindus. Hindus made up more than 25% of Sindh while in the Urban areas they made up around 60% of the total population.
More than 750,000 Hindus left Sindh during the partition and now they number over 3 million in India. Karachi had more than 260,000 Hindus out of which almost all of them left for India.
Sindh was one of the most peaceful areas during the partition time, no riots or mass killings took place. Sindhi Muslims were also sad seeing their Sindhi brothers and sisters leaving Sindh forever.
There are still more than 4 million Hindus living in Sindh while 350,000 in Karachi.
Wish if these Hindus had not left for India, Karachi and Hyderabad would have been way ahead of Bombay, Dehli or Lahore.
When it comes to Demographics there are around 5 million Sindhis in India, out of which 1.5 to 2 million Sindhis are local Indian ones who have been living in Kutch and Bikaner since centuries. While in Pakistan there are around 33-35 million Sindhis.
There are also more than 2 million Sindhis living in Diapora, 60% Indian and 40% Pakistani. The growth rate of Pakistani Sindhis in the Diapora is very high.
*The figures given here are not 100% official but can have a fluctuation of 5-10%*
Written by Bilal Akber Mangi.
Courtesy: via Social media/Facebook (This piece of history is taken from Social media.)
Shelter for abandoned animals opens in Karachi
BY SHAZIA HASAN
KARACHI: A three-legged dog greets you at the bright red gate of the newly-opened ACF Animal Shelter in Mujahid Colony, Dalmia, and hops alongside you as if it wants to show you around the facility.
There is a donkey inside the fenced lawn, munching away at marigolds. Just like a toddler, a puppy inside his pen drags along a big teddy bear. At the shelter’s launch on Sunday the once abandoned animals are learning to trust humans again as they receive gentle pats and lots of love from the guests.
One of the guests, well-known veterinarian Dr Abrar Pirzada, who appreciated the efforts of the lady behind the good work, Ayesha Chundrigar, and her team of volunteers, also had some suggestions.
Read more » DAWN
See more » http://www.dawn.com/news/1227696/
Visual Karachi: From Paris of Asia, to City of Lights, to Hell on Earth
Clustered diversity
Karachi confuses people – sometimes even those who live in it.
The capital of Pakistan’s Sindh province, it is the country’s largest city – a colossal, ever-expanding metropolis with a population of about 20 million (and growing).
It is also the country’s most ethnically diverse city. But over the last three decades this diversity largely consists of bulky groups of homogenous ethnic populations that mostly reside in their own areas of influence and majority, only interacting and intermingling with other ethnic groups in the city’s more neutral points of economic and recreational activity.
That’s why Karachi may also give the impression of being a city holding various small cities. Cities within a city.
Read more » DAWN
See more » http://www.dawn.com/news/1134284
98th Anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution celebrated in Pakistan
The Progressive Youth Alliance in collaboration with the Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign organized activities on the eve of the 98th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution in many cities of Pakistan.
Continue reading 98th Anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution celebrated in Pakistan
I am Paris. We are Paris. Peace march for Paris victims in Karachi
KARACHI: Activists of rights groups and civil society gathered at the Teen Talwar traffic intersection in Clifton on Sunday and marched on the French consulate to express solidarity with the victims of the Paris attacks. The rally called ‘peace march’ was organised by the Sindh Secular Forum and other civil society organisations in the city.
Read more » DAWN
No, you are not in Europe, you are very much in Karachi
Burnes Road re-envisioned by architecture students
BY SHAZIA HASAN
KARACHI: Pretty stone buildings with stained glass windows and wooden jharokhas overlooking clean open pathways with roadside restaurants and fruit, sweets and snack kiosks. No traffic, no pollution, just a nice open space to walk or if you feel like it, sit down and relax on benches or enjoy the delicacies on the offer.
No, you are not in Europe, you are very much in Karachi; in fact, this is Burnes Road! This is how fourth year architecture students at the Indus Valley School of Arts and Architecture (IVSAA) changed the food street at Burnes Road, well, at least as a part of their class project, if not in reality.
Read more » DAWN
If a Muslim is Oppressor then I will stand with Hindus says Nawaz Sharif
Courtesy: ARY News
Doing business: Karachi remains ahead of other cities – World Bank report
BY ANWAR IQBAL
WASHINGTON: Despite its alarming security situation, Karachi remains ahead of other Pakistani cities in business environment indicators, says a World Bank report released on Wednesday.
Read more » DAWN
See more » http://www.dawn.com/news/1216039
First phase of Karachi bus rapid transit system to be launched next month
KARACHI: Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan was informed on Friday that work on the first phase of the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) — Green Line and Orange Line — in Karachi would begin next month and be completed within one year.
Dr Ibad, who chaired a meeting at Governor House on transport projects in Karachi, was given a detailed briefing by the chief executive of the Karachi Infrastructure Development Board regarding the Green Line, Orange Line, Yellow Line and Blue Line projects of the BRTS.
The official said that the Green Line project — from Surjani Town to M.A. Jinnah Road — would be completed with an estimated cost of Rs16.85 billion to be funded by the federal government.
Read more » DAWN
See more » http://www.dawn.com/news/1215129/
Pakistan Lux Style Awards 2015: ‘Na Maloom Afraad’ declared best film, Javaid Sheikh best actor and Ayeza Khan best TV actress
KARACHI, SINDH – Pakistani film ‘Na Maloom Afraad’ has been declared best movie of the year at Lux Style Awards 2015 while veteran actor Javaid Shaikh won best film actor award, with Hamza Ali Abbasi and Ayeza Khan winning the best TV actor awards for male and female category respectively. The couple’s drama ‘Payare Afzal’ was also announced as the best drama of the year.
Read more » Daily Pakistan
See more » http://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/lifestyle/lux-style-awards-2015-na-maloom-afraad-declared-best-film-javaid-sheikh-best-actor-and-ayeza-khan-best-tv-actress/
US consulate launches website in Sindhi language
KARACHI: U.S. Consul General Brian Heath officially launched the Consulate’s first-ever Sindhi language web site at his residence in Karachi.
According to an official press release, leading Sindhi writer and social activist Dr. Suleman Shaikh shared the stage. In addition, Sindhi musicians performed at the event, which was also designed to showcase Sindhi culture.
“We are very proud and excited to launch our first-ever Sindhi language web site,” said Mr. Heath. “This follows on the successful launch of Mission Pakistan’s Urdu language web sites earlier this month.” U.S. Consulate Karachi, he added, has been issuing press releases, posting on Facebook and tweeting in Sindhi for more than a year.
“Having Consulate Karachi’s web site completely in Sindhi,” said Mr. Heath, “is an important step in helping us reach out to the 60 million Sindhi speakers in both Pakistan and overseas. Now, they will be able to read about the Consulate’s activities and assistance efforts in one of Pakistan’s oldest and most important languages.” The Consulate, he said, wants Americans and Pakistanis to “get to know each other better.”
Guests included prominent Sindhi personalities, such as journalists, media owners, social activists and cultural figures.
To visit the U.S. Consulate General Karachi’s web site, go to sindhi.karachi.usconsulate.gov.
Courtesy: Geo Tv + KTN
Read more » http://www.geo.tv/article-199029-US-consulate-launches-website-in-Sindhi-language
Delhi to Karachi: A tale of two homelands
By Aman Bharti / KS Bharti / Creative: Maryam Rashid
‘Religion and nationality did not matter during my childhood in the city by the sea’
Aman Bharti
Once upon a time there was an Indian boy who grew up in Karachi. At the time, he did not know just how odd that simple fact was. That boy was me. I lived in Karachi because my father, a diplomat, was posted to the Indian consulate in the port city. I was three years old when we arrived in Karachi in 1983, and nearly six when we left in 1986.
Given my age, my world in Karachi orbited two locations: home and school. ‘Home’ was Hindustan Court in Clifton, a building housing the Indian government’s consular employees. Our residence was probably once part of a mansion that was haphazardly carved out into a number of small, bizarrely-shaped homes — our house, for instance, featured disproportionately large windows that went on like a runaway train. Well, in our part of the world we all know that partitions invariably have unexpected consequences.
There was one clue that there was a difference between my world and the world that my friends from school inhabited. In school, when we played ‘fauj fauj’, a variant of ‘cops and robbers’, every child — including myself — wanted to be part of the Pakistan fauj, as this team always won. But at home, I discovered that it was the Indian fauj that always won. It was the kind of paradox that makes little sense to a child, but I quickly made my peace with the discrepancy and learned to switch sides depending on where I played.
Beyond school and home, I have happy memories of going to the beach often. I remember the sea water was brimming with little fish no more than an inch long, and once, I lost a ball in the sea. I was told the ocean would take my ball all the way to Bombay. At the time, I had no idea what or where Bombay was.
A local man named Iqbal would clean our house every day, and for my sister and me, he was our friend. When we finally left Karachi for Delhi, Iqbal sent us candy and toys, including a View-Master, a toy through which you could look at stereoscopic photos. The photo slides that came with the View-Master were of Islamic holy places and festivals, and I would spend hours looking at pictures of Mecca and Muharram activities. I later learned that other children used View-Masters to look at cartoons.
My first school in Karachi was Onimo Montessori Private School. I remember it as a happy place. One day, when the school closed for the day, no one arrived to pick me up. I waited until it was just me and the watchman. He sat with me until someone finally arrived. What I remember most is that he also shared his lunch with me. It was this simple but unselfish act of kindness that has stayed etched in my memory.
When I turned five, it was time to go to a proper school. I remember Jennings Private School as a scary place full of rough boys who were bigger than me. A few children from the Indian consulate also attended Jennings, and my best friend was a girl named Seviyan (like the sweet dish). I remember a prizegiving ceremony at Jennings, when I had won something. The teacher moved me from the back of the line to the front. The boy who was now standing behind me did not approve of his demotion, and, once the teacher left, he pushed me behind him. So did the next boy. And the next boy. When the teacher came by again, I was standing last in line once more.
Altaf asks workers to demand UN, White House, NATO for troops in Karachi
DALLAS: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain has asked his party workers to stage protests in front of United Nations, White House and NATO and raise a demand for sending their troops to Karachi.
Read more: GeoTV
Exclusive Talk With Ex Employ Of Axact Telling How They Were Looting People On Name Of Degrees
The interview is in Hindi (urdu) language.
News courtesy: Dunya Tv News
‘The Republic of Jinnahpur’ – Strategy For Balkanization of Pakistan
SYED JAMALUDDIN WAS THE FIRST ONE TO SEEK INDIAN ASSISTANCE
by Zaki Khalid
Jamaluddin is a self-exile in Heidelberg, Germany and who is a strong proponent of ‘The State of Jinnahpur’. This, he claims, is for the supposed protection of the Urdu-speaking community. In the past, he has continued to pen propaganda and vice against the state of Pakistan and its institutions in particular the military and intelligence services. Furthermore, he calls ‘Punjabi terrorism’ as the supposed root cause of chaos in Pakistan. In the early 90’s, Jamaluddin was recruited by the Indian intelligence agency RAW after he developed internal disputes with comrades in MQM. He had escaped before he could be captured by the Military Intelligence which was on the lookout for him owing to the maps and designs in his possession as he was one of the main architects of the Jinnahpur conspiracy, which received massive funding and support from the establishment across our border.
In his message to the international journalist community, Jamaluddin warned that the military establishment of Pakistan wants to “corner and eliminate MQM” in Karachi through guerilla warfare. This, he alleges, is being done “through Talibanized factions of Pathan and Punjabi political parties”.
Moving ahead, Jamaluddin appealed to MQM leader Altaf Hussain to beware of Pakistan’s military and intelligence institutions adding that Altaf is being treated “as yet another Sheikh Mujib-ur-Rehman of Bangladesh”.
He added that making of the ‘Republic of Jinnahpur’ might also gain momentum as a consequence of possible disintegration of Spain in 2015. “Karachi is Pakistan’s Catalonia and Kosovo”, says Jamaluddin.
Continue reading ‘The Republic of Jinnahpur’ – Strategy For Balkanization of Pakistan
Pakistan – MQM chief Altaf Hussain Appealing Indian Agency RAW To Help And Provide Weapons To MQM
News courtesy: Express Tv
What Some Muslims Are Doing For Hindus In Pakistan On Holi Will Make You Stand Up & Applaud Humanity
The National Students Federation of Pakistan, a platform to redirect the thinking of students and others alike from the inept politics of the ruling powers, has proposed an event that is as heartwarming as it is heart wrenching. They want to form a human shield for the Hindu Holi revellers, to show solidarity with their brothers and sisters.
Read more » Scoop Whoop
See more » http://www.scoopwhoop.com/inothernews/hindus-on-pakistani-holi/
In Karachi, a human shield for Hindus celebrating Holi
By DAWN.COM
KARACHI: The National Student’s Federation (NSF) organised the formation of a human shield at the Holi celebrations at Swami Narayan Temple today to show solidarity with and protect Hindus in attendance.
The demonstration is an attempt to promote interfaith coexistence and cooperation among different religious and ethnic groups in Pakistan. The NSF leveraged social media to spread information about the event, extending e-vitations to others who share their outlook on religious tolerance and wish to participate in the demonstration.
Also read: Mithi: Where a Hindu fasts and a Muslim does not slaughter cows
A member of the NSF describes it as a “progressive leftist organisation” dating back to the NSF of the Ayub Khan era. The organisation experienced a revival in 2006 – 2008.
Read more » DAWN
See more » http://www.dawn.com/news/1167564/in-karachi-a-human-shield-for-hindus-celebrating-holi
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More » The Times of India
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Human-shield-to-protect-Hindus-celebrating-Holi-in-Pakistan/articleshow/46475072.cms
Karachi experiencing a demographic earthquake, moot told
By Saher Baloch
KARACHI: Carving out new provinces is not a solution to the administrative issues faced by Sindh, speakers said on the first day of a two-day peace conference held here on Saturday.
The conference titled ‘Exploring peace and reconciliation alternatives: towards a Karachi for all,’ is being held by the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (Piler).
With a variety of noted speakers for the day having three sessions, the opening speech and introduction to the conference was given by executive director of Piler Karamat Ali. He said the aim of the conference was to bring together people from various fields and classes to speak and debate about ideas they felt closest to them.
He spoke at length about the initial migration in the city, how it further developed when people started inviting more people to work here and how the situation deteriorated over the years, making labourers one of the most vulnerable groups in the city at present.
“We need to remember while shunning another person on the basis of ethnicity that they are willing to do the work that we look down upon. We need each other,” Mr Ali said.
Next in the line was Dr Kaiser Bengali, senior economist and adviser to the chief minister of Balochistan. In his presentation on ‘Karachi: a city in transition’, Dr Bengali raised pertinent points about the present demography of the city, the growing differences between various ethnicities inhabiting it and its solutions. Presenting statistics, he said, starting from a Sindhi city to a Mohajir city, Karachi was now in the middle of what he described as a “demographic earthquake” and on its way to become a Pakhtun city in the future.
“Its reason is that there is an exodus of Pakhtuns from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to a high birth rate, increase in household size (meaning number of people per home) and lack of employment in that province, which means that by 2045, Karachi will be dominated by the Pakhtun population.”
He pointed out that the Seraiki-speaking population was also increasing in the city, mostly migrating from south Punjab. “In the future, the Seraiki speakers with their almost 80 per cent population will be the next in line to demand their rights and an electoral seat,” he added.
Explaining further, he said: “This demographic earthquake is bound to create a conflict in the city and our job should be to manage the conflict. Creating a province does not seem like a solution to counter the conflict, but one that might further complicate the situation.”
Read more » DAWN
Learn more » http://www.dawn.com/news/1152134
Pew Survey 2014: Pakistanis Report Progress, Pessimism
The number of Pakistanis reporting they are better off now has increased from 25% in 2002 to 51% in 2014, according to Pew Research Center report from its 43-nation survey on life satisfaction around the world.
Read more » http://www.riazhaq.com/2014/11/pew-survey-2014-pakistanis-report.html
Ayaz Latif Palijo’s Press Conference
Shutter-down and wheel-jam Strike will be observed in Sindh on Oct 23 against MQM’s demand of division of Sindh.
We wont allow division of Sindh till death of 6 crore Sindhis.
Ayaz Latif Palijo
President Qomi Awami Tahreek -QAT
Press Conference on 22rd Oct 2014 Palijo House Hyderabad.
Pakistan: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari leads first PPP rally
Tens of thousands of Pakistanis have attended the first mass rally held by the son of murdered Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
By Shahzeb Jillani, BBC News, Karachi, Sindh
Karachi has not seen such a huge PPP rally for years. The party is trying to show that it still has mass appeal, and can compete with other opposition politicians such as Imran Khan. It is, after all, a party that has fought military dictatorships in Pakistan time and again over the last four decades.
Read more » BBC
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-29673493
Madonna’s ‘dream school’ opens in Karachi, Sindh
SINDH – KARACHI: Pop icon and social activist Madonna took to Instagram on Monday to announce the opening of her ‘dream school’ in Karachi that she pledged to help build last year.
“The Revolution of Love continues in Pakistan! The Dream School is finally finished. 1,200 kids attending. Knowledge is Power! #rayoflight #livingforlove,” read her caption.
Last year, Madonna announced that she is raising money to expand a school in an impoverished area on the outskirts of Karachi, according to a press release on her official website.
The starlet went on stage at a live concert in London and publicised that she is supporting girls’ education in Pakistan through her Ray of Light Foundation, and urged people to support her cause. She was joined on stage by Humaira Bachal, an education activist from Karachi.
Madonna has long spoken about her admiration for Humaira Bachal, a Pakistani woman who has campaigned for better education for young girls.
Speaking at the Chime For Change event in London last year, Madonna said, “Let’s help Humaira build a bigger school in Pakistan! How ‘bout this? You build the first floor, I’ll build the rest of the school. Let’s do this together!”
The Dream Model Street School is located in Mawach Goth, Karachi and was founded by the Dream Foundation Trust (DFT), a Pakistani non-governmental organisation.
Read more » The Express Tribune
http://tribune.com.pk/story/768771/madonnas-dream-school-opens-in-karachi/
Karachi ruled by everyone, run by no one
By Vaqar Ahmed
Here’s the routine for most people in Karachi:
They wake up in the morning and get ready for work. The lucky ones have enough water to take a bath but most have to make do with much less. If there is some gas, the stove is switched on, and some tea and bread is prepared for breakfast. Then, it is off to the bus stop with the hope of finding transport to make it to work in time. When the bus arrives, the object called human body is stuffed into it like a sardine joining other sardines in a tin box.
The same routine happens in reverse at the end of a long day. Also, during the day, those who went out for work and those who stayed at home need electricity to do their jobs or carry out the various tasks at home; if they are lucky, they will get it for a few hours.
Read more » DAWN
Sindh Assembly passes resolution against division of Sindh
By Agencies
KARACHI: In the absence of members of the opposition and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), the Pakistan Peoples Party on Thursday managed to unanimously pass a resolution in the Sindh Assembly against the division of the province or formation of new administrative units.
The resolution was jointly moved by Sohail Akbar and other PPP members in the backdrop of a recent demand by the MQM to create more administrative units in Sindh.
Read more » DAWN
http://www.dawn.com/news/1134279/sindh-assembly-passes-resolution-against-division-of-sindh
Marsoon Marsoon Sindh na desoon resolution passed by Sindh Assembly
Parties reject Altaf’s demand for new provinces in Sindh
KARACHI: A multi-party conference on Tuesday rejected a call of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement to create more administrative units in Sindh and resolved that everyone living in the province irrespective of their ethnic background would not allow the division of Sindh.
The conference, titled ‘Administrative provinces and demand for dividing Sindh is a conspiracy against Sindh, country and peace’, was jointly organised by the Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan and the Qaumi Awami Tehreek.
Besides two former chief ministers, representatives of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, PML-Functional, Jamaat-i-Islami, National Party, Awami National Party, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, Balochistan National Party, several Sindhi nationalist parties and members of civil society and minorities attended the conference.
Read more » DAWN
http://www.dawn.com/news/1133885/parties-reject-altafs-demand-for-new-provinces-in-sindh
A wake-up call
It was the first time on Monday morning that I breathed a sigh of relief that the PTI and the PAT dharna is there and continues to attract attention. Just imagine if the media was not focusing on them they might have taken the trouble of sniffing out the drama which was unfolding in Karachi on September 6. A Chinese manufactured F-22P frigate of the Pakistan Navy, PNS Zulfiqar, came under attack by the Taliban. It is not confirmed as yet if the ship was at sea or docked at the naval dockyard. The story was kept under wraps for two days and disclosed on September 8. It was not that people were not warning others. A friend from abroad had even inquired on Saturday about what was happening in Karachi to which I had no answer as nothing was being reported on television except the Imran/Qadri roadshow. But I am still happy no one reported the story because the last time someone tried to dig out facts about infiltration of militants and ideologues inside the navy it ended in tragedy.
Gladly, the brave sailors and officers saved the day. However, the attack on PNS Zulfiqar, for which the Taliban took the responsibility, proved yet again the vulnerability of the country’s security. What we are always scared to talk about is the support from inside as had happened in the attack on PNS Mehran, PAC, Kamra and other places. Given the fact that little is known about militant penetration, it is difficult to ascertain the threat. This is about men caught by the demon of disbelief of their state and society. Glance through the literature on state making and you can find how monopoly over violence and making sure it stays that way is one of the many characteristics of a viable and efficient state. However, here is the issue of men, who join a profession to guard the state then turning away, because they suddenly suspect the state is not legitimate. The whole concept of jihad or takfir is not a simple issue of people becoming devil-like but erosion of their faith in legitimacy of the state. They begin to desire a perfect Islamic state which can only be brought about by fighting the existing system. Penetrating an armed force becomes an attractive option since achieving such objective tantamount to a force multiplier. A well-trained and oiled war machine can take you places.
Just imagine a situation where militants would try to rebel and take control of a vessel while at sea. Notwithstanding many of the earlier claims that all three services were cleaned during the Musharraf regime, these attacks suggest otherwise. Various religious groups have always had access to men in uniform under one pretext or the other. If it is not the militants then it is Deobandi or Salafi reformation movements such as the Tableeghi Jamaat or Al Huda that are allowed to access military personnel and their families. Reportedly, the households of one of the two smaller services were opened up for Al Huda by the senior leadership. The problem here is not with increased interest in religion but the fact that after a while these families and their men begin to get totally confused about where does duty to religion end and to the state begin. Not that they want to kill innocent colleagues and other people but they are blinded by their understanding of dogma to believe that they have to bring suffering in order to improve the world as ordained by God.
The PNS Zulfiqar attack is yet another reminder that things are getting serious. We need to look at this development in the backdrop of the expansion of militancy and extremism in the form of IS and the al-Qaeda’s Qaedatul Jihad in Indian Subcontinent (QJIS). While many analysts tend to see IS and QJIS from the lens of internal competition amongst militants, especially Zawahiri’s need to build up his strength, some observers argue that the two forces may have different tactics and partners but similar strategic objective. They both want to consolidate and establish a caliphate. In this regard, other existing organisations like the Hizb-ut-Tahrir also have the same desire.
Courtesy: The Express Tribune, September 11th, 2014.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/760623/a-wake-up-call-2/
Tsunami could ‘wipe out’ Karachi
KARACHI: Pakistan’s largest city Karachi, home to around 18 million people, could be “wiped out” by a tsunami, officials said Wednesday after a drill simulating a major earthquake in the Indian Ocean.
The test, and one carried out a day earlier simulating another quake off Indonesia, were designed to check an early-warning system set up after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami which killed more than 230,000 people.
The exercise organised by the United Nations was based on a hypothetical 9.0 magnitude quake in the Makran Trench, where the Arabian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet, off the coast of Pakistan.
“This would create waves of 0.9 to seven metres high that could reach Karachi in one and a half hours,” Tauseef Alam, the chief meteorologist who was supervising the tests, told AFP.
“This could wipe out the city as the waves would be immensely powerful.” Karachi was hit by a tsunami in 1945 that killed at least 4,000 people, Alam said.
All aboard: Karachi’s metro bus project to run along same way as Lahore
Karachi: … On Thursday, the prime minister announced that they would launch the Metro Bus Project in the city and will have Rs15 billion set aside for it. “We have decided to take over the green line project in the city,” he said. “The metro bus service will start on the same pattern as Lahore.”
Read more » The Express Tribune
http://tribune.com.pk/story/733869/all-aboard-karachis-metro-bus-project-to-run-along-same-way-as-lahore/
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