an itinerant observer

What’s the chance of a bad outcome,lik e death, in Karachi? Based on anecdotes circulated on social media and what you read in the news, you might assume that chances for a series of unfortunate events remain high in this city. This prompted a friend to do some calculations to gauge chance of an unexpected death in Karachi, compared to any major metropolitan city in the U.S. Assuming how the percentages were arrived at was fairly accurate, the bottom line, if true, was intriguing: the likelihood of an untimely, unexpected death was similar in the two places. Delving into death rates in Karachi vs. elsewhere was perhaps meant to be an intellectual discourse following the meaningless death of a colleague’s sister in Karachi. Being gunned down outside a famous restaurant after a meal there is hard to rationalize as an expected outcome of a botched cell phone robbery attempt. But this is Karachi. And such occurrences are unfortunately all too frequently heard and shared. Ev...

When I hear the word ‘Pakistan’ on CNN, BBC, or even FOX news for that matter, there’s that sinking feeling of, “Oh no, what now?” Reflexively I expect another story of doom and gloom to unfold. I might rush to Pakistani newspapers and TV channels hoping that they might provide a somewhat objective viewpoint. Alas, they too, at times, tend to obfuscate reality and create an alternative one that is a better fit for conspiracy theorists.    It is time to move past political punditry and journalistic jingoism. Perhaps it is time for the Diaspora to talk and write about good things in Pakistan.       Before reaching this semi-conclusion, I felt I had arrived at a crossroads - I could either delve in apathy and antipathy for Pakistan, or write about a potential way out of my dilemma. I choose to write since that is my comfort zone. I will try to describe the problem first. What's happening in Pakistan is complex. ‘ Corruption’ , a common buzzword, i...

Prior to leaving Houston ‘for good’ and relocating to Karachi, perhaps 'for good', I was asked by several well wishers to keep up with my blog. They specifically wanted me to write from and about Karachi. Knowing well that I would neither delve into politics nor religion, some still asked, “Why don’t you write about politics in Karachi”, while others persisted, “Asad, why don’t you write about the religion of Karachi, especially during the month of fasting?”   If the number of Facebook likes and comments on anything related to politics or religion is a fair gauge then one might conclude that those are the only two scintillating topics worthy of expression in words. “If I take away both religion and politics prevalent in Karachi, then what am I left with to ramble about?” I asked myself. Normally I call upon the muses to assist me in finding something interesting to write about. This time around was no different.   Today marked week two of relocation to Karachi from ...

Given the recent surge in “Top 10 Lists” on everything under the sun, I too felt like coming up with a list of 10 items. I thought of listing “Top 10 Parenting Skills” or “The Top 10 Dog Names”, primarily because I had recently written about parenting and owning a dog (in separate articles). However, I discarded those ideas as quickly as I had thought of them as the question that had intrigued me more was: “Is there any purpose to life, and if so what might that be?” Based on that, a list of 10 things that I believed in came to mind, because you see, prior to figuring out your life’s purpose, you must believe that there can be such a thing as life’s purpose. So I share 10 beliefs in no particular order. I need to love myself. For that I first need to be myself and then like myself. I must stop being harsh or judgmental about myself, or the other. And I must stop blaming myself, or the other, for my life's perceived messes. I need not be simply who I am ...