Afriend used to joke that soon citizens from other parts of Karachi would need a visa to cross the Kalapul and enter the upscale neighbourhoods of the Defence Housing Authority and Clifton, the so-called `posh` areas of the city; as though streams of nectar and ambrosia flowed therein.

Though this might not entirely be true, it does point to a divide that exists in the minds of the residents of this bustling metropolis.

To put it in the crudest terms, those residing in Defence and Clifton are labelled `burgers` rich, English-speaking, westernised and out of synch with the reality of the rest of Karachi. On the other hand, those residing in other parts of the city are seen to be Urdu-medium, traditional and out of step with the modern world.

Though these may be crude stereotypes, it would be wrong to totally dismiss them. Karachi consists of such a vast area and such a melting pot of different people that black and white comparisons are quite tough to make. However, and in the most politically incorrect fashion, here`s an attempt.

I am a resident of North Nazimabad, a leafy and once quiet suburb of the city known for its wide roads, good sized bungalows and keen sense of neighbourliness. Along with a handful of other areas -- Nazimabad, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Federal B Area etc -- this can be considered the middle class hinterland of Karachi.

One thing separating the abovementioned areas from Defence and Clifton that instantly comes to mind is that whenever ethnic/political/sectarian/tribal/interplanetary violence is raging across the city of Karachi, Clifton and the DHA, for the most part, seem immune.

When recent ethnic tensions flared up, the lives of citizens who do not reside in the `posh` areas were severely disrupted as going to school or work became impossible; what with bullets flying and rampaging mobs putting anything that moves to fire and the sword. However, the situation was relatively calm in DHA/Clifton. And thank God for that, but one felt like asking aren`t these areas  a part of Karachi? Perhaps not the Karachi that I know.

A dear friend -- with all due respect -- who lives in the DHA actually told me to sell off my house in North Nazimabad and move to Defence. I looked at him, mouth agape. He couldn`t be serious. But he was. And this `Defence chalo` mentality has been gaining ground, even during days of relative calm.

An acquaintance, also a resident of North Nazimabad, whose kids study at one of the so-called elite schools of the city, said his kids would not stop pestering him to move to Defence. When asked why this was so, he said their school-mates ridiculed them for being `bun kebabs` and living in a shoddy part of town. North Nazimabad? Shoddy? My rage at such insolence and ignorance knew no bounds.

But surely picking up the whole kit and caboodle and moving to Defence because the law enforcement agencies fail to keep order or to keep up with the Joneses is no solution. I really like my neighbourhood, despite all its problems and lack of attention from the municipal authorities. I like the familiarity that comes with having lived in the same place for decades.

I like visiting my neighbourhood mosque, my grocer and my fruit-wallah. I like the fact that many of my relatives and friends are within a 20 minute driving distance. Why would I want to leave all this and live in Defence?

Don`t get me wrong. There are definitely things to appreciate about Defence and Clifton. Like the order, enforcement of rules, municipal planning and relative calm that prevails. And you can`t beat the seashore. Perhaps Seaview can be hauled to North Nazimabad ...

In all seriousness, creating ghettoes for the rich are no alternatives for municipal planning and enforcing the law. Encroachments and lawlessness have slowly crept up and now, are eating away at the very foundations of the middle class neighbourhoods mentioned above.

When one sees the well-laid out parks in Defence/Clifton, one cannot help feel a tinge of jealousy. Or when one sees shaadi lawns/private schools/CNG dealers cropping up next door to one`s house in what is supposed to be a residential area, one begins to appreciate the order our fauji friends enforce in Clifton/Defence. Why can`t this be done in areas controlled by the city government? To be fair, the present city nazim is trying, and one sincerely hopes he succeeds in his efforts to bring order to Karachi.

The prejudices and misconceptions, residents of Defence and areas on this side of the Kalapul harbour against each other are not the only ones that exist. For instance, you`ll be hard pressed to find residents of Nazimabad or Gulshan heading out to Landhi, Malir or Gadap for a cuppa. Also, when Lyari reverberates with the sound of gunfire in the midst of a gang war, do the residents of Surjani Town get jittery or do they continue with business as usual?

As stated earlier, Karachi is so huge that often what affects one area might have no effect whatsoever across town. So perhaps our friends in Defence and Clifton may be forgi ven for not feeling the pain when bullets fly in Orangi Town, just as I don`t exactly start quivering in my boots when I hear of tension in Chakiwara.

As multifaceted and richly different as Karachi is, the stereotypes its citizens harbour against each other are perhaps not entirely misplaced, for just as a resident of Defence might not have a clue to where Bara Board is, a resident of Moosa Lana will probably not have the foggiest idea about where Khayaban-i-Ittehad is.