Argues that within the seemingly chaotic malaise of Karachi's politics, a form of "manageable violence" exists, on which the functioning of the city is based.
A fast-paced, hair-raising journey around Karachi in the company of those who know the city inside out - from an electrifying new voice in narrative non-fiction. Karachi. Pakistan’s largest city is a sprawling metropolis of twenty million people, twice the size of New York City. It is a place of political turbulence in which those who have power wield it with brutal and partisan force. It takes an insider to know where is safe, who to trust, and what makes Karachi tick. In this powerful debut, Samira Shackle explores the city of her mother’s birth in the company of a handful of Karachiites. Among them is Safdar the ambulance driver, who knows the city’s streets and shortcuts intimately and will stop at nothing to help his fellow citizens. There is Parveen, the activist whose outspoken views on injustice repeatedly lead her towards danger. And there is Zille, the hardened journalist whose commitment to getting the best scoops puts him at increasing risk. Their individual experiences unfold and converge, as Shackle tells the bigger story of Karachi over the past decade as it endures a terrifying crime wave: a period in which the Taliban arrive in Pakistan, adding to the daily perils for its residents and pushing their city into the international spotlight. Writing with intimate local knowledge and a global perspective, Shackle paints a vivid portrait of one of the most complex and compelling cities in the world, a city where the borders blur between politicians and gangsters and between lawful and unlawful, as dangerous new forces of violent extremism are pitted against old networks of power.
"Morning Edition" cohost Inskeep presents a riveting account of a single harrowing day in December 2009 that sheds light on the constant tensions in Karachi, Pakistan--when a bomb blast ripped through a religious procession.
The police force is one of the most distrusted institutions in Pakistan, notorious for its corruption and brutality. In both colonial and postcolonial contexts, directives to confront security threats have empowered law enforcement agents, while the lack of adequate reform has upheld institutional weaknesses. This exploration of policing in Karachi, Pakistan's largest city and financial capital, reveals many colonial continuities. Both civilian and military regimes continue to ensure the suppression of the policed via this institution, itself established to militarily subjugate and exploit in the interests of the ruling class. However, contemporary policing practice is not a simple product of its colonial heritage: it has also evolved to confront new challenges and political realities. Based on extensive fieldwork and almost 150 interviews, this ethnographic study reveals a distinctly "postcolonial condition of policing." Mutually reinforcing phenomena of militarisation and informality have been exacerbated by an insecure state that routinely conflates combatting crime, maintaining public order and ensuring national security. This is evident not only in spectacular displays of violence and malpractice, but also in police officers' routine work. Caught in the middle of the country's armed conflicts, their encounters with both state and society are a story of insecurity and uncertainty.
Presenting an ethnographic study of a multi-ethnic, middle-class high-rise apartment building in Karachi, Pakistan, this book argues that peace is the product of a relentless daily labour, much of it carried out in the zenana, or women's space. It provides a glimpse into contemporary urban life in a Muslim society.
From the Arabian Sea to the peaks of the Himalayas, cuisine in Karachi is as diverse as its inhabitants and draws influences from across South, Central, and West Asia. The local food is bold in flavor, and comes in many forms including curries, soups, stews, wraps, pilafs, pies, and more. Internationally acclaimed Pakistani chef and educator Kausar Ahmed has curated and created unique, mouthwatering recipes in this gorgeous one-of-a-kind cookbook. Readers will discover a whole new world of flavor through the culinary arts of a multicultural region that sits at the crossroads of South Asia.
Evaluating state relations from 1999 to 2009, Deadly Impasse seeks to explore what ails the Indo-Pakistani relationship and perpetuates the enduring rivalry.
Ayesha is a twenty-something reporter in one of the world’s most dangerous cities. Her assignments range from showing up at bomb sites and picking her way through scattered body parts to interviewing her boss’s niece, the couture-cupcake designer. In between dicing with death and absurdity, Ayesha despairs over the likelihood of ever meeting a nice guy, someone like her old friend Saad, whose shoulder she cries on after every romantic misadventure. Her choices seem limited to narcissistic, adrenaline-chasing reporters who’ll do anything to get their next story—to the spoilt offspring of the Karachi elite who’ll do anything to cure their boredom. Her most pressing problem, however, is how to straighten her hair during the chronic power outages. Karachi, You’re Killing Me! is Bridget Jones’s Diary meets The Diary of a Social Butterfly—a comedy of manners in a city with none.
“Problems of working women in Karachi" is based on interviews survey conducted with working women as the subject. The domestic worker, and women working in offices and companies in the clerical and managerial positions are interviewed. The study showed that the women in general are victims of gender biased society, specially working women. The data is also based on clear graphs and charts showing the magnitude of gender inequality in terms of Labour Force Participation. This is the only book which gives the full information about the working women in Karachi. It explains the life style of Muslim women living in underdeveloped country who are trying to find their identity and fighting for their survival in male dominated society. It explains the living standards, their problems and hindrances they face while trying to make their way into the job market. This book is a must read for those who are interested to have an insight into the working women problems in a Muslim underdeveloped state. It is beneficial to students, researchers, surveyors and all who are interested to read and learn about this issue. The whole material is full of information explained in simple and easy to understand language with graphs, personal interviews and case studies.