Comparing apples with oranges in Karachi!

OF late an amusing debate has been brewing between the proponents of the Lyari Expressway and those of the Karachi Circular Railway. The supporters of the KCR seem to believe that the resources earmarked for the construction of the Lyari Expressway will leave in the coffers nothing for the other project. In fact, cynics already maintain that money for the city projects is becoming scarce.

The KCR developed as a consequence to a suburban train system that had built up to cater to the transport needs of the Karachiites. The system started to cater to local traffic along with the main line between railway stations at Karachi City, Landhi and Malir halt almost with the inception of the country. By the end of the 1960s Circular Railway System with a length of some 29 kms between Drigh Road, Liaquatabad, North Nazimabad, SITE, Wazir Mansion and City stations was complete.

For 15 years the KCR remained a popular mode of transport. By the early eighties over a hundred trains would run every day over its single track. But then things started changing. The Pakistan Railways with rising operating costs was experiencing a severe shortage of locomotives and rolling stock, city’s demography as well as work destinations were also changing fast.

For many reasons, the city was gradually turning lawless and getting flooded with smaller yet efficient buses unconstrained with speed limit or predetermined stops. Till mid-eighties Karachi had less then 400,000 registered vehicles.

The break-even fares for Passenger and Cargo trains that the Pakistan Railways had worked out, with two million dollar locomotives and 22 passenger cars, cruising around 120 kms per hour or 68 freight wagons cruising around 80 kms per hour, could not justify the KCR existence as a local train could never earn a fare compatible to an express running between Karachi and Lahore.

Nostalgia aside, Karachiites may not accept in this day and age a sub-standard service even if it means the continued suspension of the KCR. For the KCR’s successful revival several genuine issues must be understood and addressed. To begin with, the existing 3,500 horsepower locomotives and rolling stock available in the railway inventory that may need between 5-6 kms. ie up to three times the distance between some of the circular railway stations to accelerate to cruise speed or decelerate to a stop. Other important aspects that must be appreciated include efficient train-bus connections, doubling of the existing single track, fencing of the track on both sides for safety of the trains as well as residents of the adjoining neighbourhoods, etc.

The circular railway track had 30 level crossings out of which eight level crossings have road over bridges. For efficient operations five more level crossings need to be grade separated. The rest may be rarely used with little or no traffic and may not warrant major expenditure.

A successful urban system will run self-propelled trains of no more then seven or eight cars during the rush hour and three to four cars during off peak hours. One must appreciate that the revival of the KCR may never happen through half-hearted measures.

The circular railway alignment may be a very important asset of this city yet its revival may not be the only action required to solve the transport woes of its residents. During eighties agile mini-buses replaced most of the city regulars. Most fear that the dreaded street culture minibuses have created is here to stay until a regulatory mechanism for the existing public transport marred with total anarchy is put in place.

On the other hand, the Lyari Expressway proposed as two-lane highway to be built upon the future banks of Lyari River after dredging, training and chanelization of the perennial river as per a WAPDA study conducted at Nandipur Head-works drastic reduction in the width was possible from 450’ to 277’ at Super highway edge and from 1200’ to 600’ at Mauripur edge.

Lyari Naadi is a major stormwater drain that has occasional yet disastrous history of flash floods. During 1974, 1976, and 1977 or of 1994 the perennial river flashed through the city filled up to the brim. During a fateful day of June 1976, the peak waters of downpour at Mal Kohistan flowing through Karachi coincided with the local downpour peak. The Navy had to come out with rafts in aid of the city that lost 248 lives.

Most fear that the state will never have enough resources to carry out dredging, training and stone pitching required to ensure safety of the residents in its bed. But a commercially lucrative infrastructure project like the proposed expressway may ensure the safety and security of over two hundred thousand people that live on the banks and bed of the Lyari. Nothing could be more erroneous than to think that the project was only important as a road alignment.

People opposing the proposed Expressway unfortunately claim that it will contribute substantially to pollution in the city. The expressway is basically proposed to cater for the existing port related traffic that does not exceed 4,500 vehicles related with Karachi Port’s activities. The argument may sound extremely flimsy in a city that already has more then 1.3 million vehicles including buses, trucks, trailers and tankers.

Let’s be fair, the KCR and the proposed Lyari Expressway may only compliment each other. Unfortunately there is little chance of support coming from outside the city. As far as Karachi is concerned the number of vehicles has increased from 600,000 to 1,320,000 over the last ten years. Imagine the effect of 2.6 million vehicles over the city if the same trend continues till 2010.

Adeem Hashmi — a prolific writer

A very touching reference was held in Islamabad in memory of poet Adeem Hashmi who died in the United States last week while undergoing a surgery for his chronic heart condition. The reference was arranged by Zaviah, a literary organization at the Pakistan Academy of Letters. Presided over by Zia Jullundhari, it was attended by PAL chairman Iftikhar Arif, Dr Ghazanfar Mehdi, Dr Saeeda Iqbal, Mahboob Zafar and a large number of the poet’s friends and admirers.

Adeem was a prolific writer. His poetry is characterized by great passion and power and a directness of tone that is quite his own. He has immense variety of subjects and shades of emotion that he explores and colours with the peculiar angle of his glance. He subjects the ghazal format to all manner of possibilities and in that area of experimentation, according to his admirers, he holds sway over most of his contemporaries. He relishes exercising classical patterns of the masters and makes delightful use of the dialogue formula in ghazal. He published five collections of his verse, Turkash, Mukalma, Chehra tumhara yaad rehta hai, Faasle aise bhi hongai, Buhot nazdeek aate ja rahe ho beside a book of English verse in the memory of Princess Diana.

Adeem was described as a mercurial personality who loved and hated with intensity and because he opposed sham and hypocrisy he made many enemies. He spoke openly against writers employing the viles and villainies of politics in the realm of art. This made this very lovable and loving man a very controversial figure.

It was a sad evening at the PAL academy. Friends related their memories of the man and their last meetings with him before he left for America. The audience and the speakers supported Dr Ghazanfar Mehdi’s call to name the Sixth Road after his name. More condolatory functions are going to be held in Taxila and Wah in the coming days. ‘Daera’ will hold another reference soon in Islamabad.

IQBAL DAY: The Poet of the East has been the biggest supplier of poetic aid to all sorts of people. Wise men, warriors, ideologues, politicians, preachers, rebels and patriots, vending mendicants and professors of magic.

Ali Baba, the anna-roti-dal-muft hotelier of Liaquat Road had to be ordered by the RMC to remove the signboard from his dhaba that had a distorted version of the Allama’s popular Shaheen couplet painted on its rusty surface. Tu saeen hai basera kar Ali Baba ke hotel par, the inscription read. But of all the Allama’s great concepts pressed into service by sundry users, the concept of khudi has been the handiest. It has meant all things to all kinds of people.

It was Iqbal Day last Friday. Journalists seized it as an opportune time to discuss the “Present crisis and the future of Iqbal’s Pakistan”. A motley mix of idle politicians were gathered to enlighten the audience on the muddled topic for the crisis could certainly be described as that of present day Pakistan’s, it seemed very little to do with the Pakistan of Iqbal’s dream. The latter was to be a modern — though not western — dynamic, progressive society, not a corrupt feudal theocracy in which the mullahs could raise private lashkars for jihad and internal sectarian cleansing. It was certainly not Iqbal’s territory but the mullah’s land of fasad feesabilillah. This gross distinction was not discerned by the eminent discussants among whom gracing the event were Mian Sahib’s A.D. 2010 visionary Ahsan Iqbal and JUI’s parliamentary ideologue Hafiz Hussain Ahmad, both whom presented their own versions of khudi.

Mr Ahsan thought it (khudi) was marketable but one had to hold one’s ground till a good price was haggled. He criticized the government for having sold that away cheaply as till then, that Friday to be exact, not a single dollar had arrived in full or partial payment thereof. Qaume farokhtand wa che arzan farokhtand was what he might have been driving at.

Hafiz Sahib’s interpretation of the Allama’s central philosophy was foolhardiness in real terms. ‘Look at them, he thundered, America is raining bombs but they are not budging an inch from their stand.” He had no idea of the miles that would be given up in a matter of days.

That evening Air Marshal Asghar Khan’s was the lone unpoetic voice. He asked people to leave poetry to poets and make the flights of their torrid fancies do a soft landing. His rational call seems to have been heeded at last. The pulpit is stunned and quiet for a change. The ‘swordless’ soldiers are not fighting. For such difficult moments indeed the Allama had coined the simile of the sun: Idhar doobay udhar niklay, udhar doobay idhar niklay.

Significance of fasting

MUSLIMS all over the world welcome the sacred month of Ramazan as an annual exercise to shed evil away as the holy Quran states, “O ye who believe! fasting is prescribed for you, even as it was prescribed for those before you, that ye may ward off civil” (2:183). The literal meaning of Saum (fasting) is to be at rest and it implies abstinence.

Even before the advent of Islam, it was customary for Arabs to devote a certain period of the year to exclusive worship and prayer. Muhammad Hussein Heykal in his biography of the prophet (peace be upon him) has referred to this tradition as, “the Arabs’ annual retreat” and states that much before revelations began to the Prophet, he would each year spend the whole of Ramazan in the cave of Mt. Hira, devoting himself uninterruptedly to his spiritual pursuits in peace, solitude and tranquillity.

The regulations about Ramazan in Chapter II of the holy Quran are coupled repeatedly with an emphasis upon two aspects: (a) facilities and concessions given in respect of fasting (b) spiritual significance of fasting, without which fasting would be like an empty shell without a kernel.

The institution of fasting was enjoined upon the faithful in the second year of Hijra. Syed Ameer Ali writes: “The institution of fasting in Islam has legitimate object of restraining the passions by abstinence for a limited and definite period, from all gratifications of senses and directing the overflow of animal spirits into a healthy channel.” According to a hadith “when Ramazan commences, the gates of heaven are opened and the gates of hell are closed and the satans are chained.”

Thus, fasting has been enjoined and made incumbent upon every Muslim adult but with the condition that he must be fit physically for it. A sick person, one who is travelling, and one who finds the severity of fast hard to bear on account of age or other infirmity are exempt. But this is a temporary exemption, they have to complete the period on other days. “And whosoever of you is sick or on a journey let him fast the same number of other days.” (2:185).

Allama Abdullah Yousuf Ali, in his commentary on the Holy Quran, writes, “Illness and journey must not be interpreted in an elastic sense; they must be such as to cause pain and sufferings.” On the other hand Allah does not wish to burden, the man who has permanent infirmity, for such a person the Quran states: “And for those who cannot afford it there is ransom, the feeding of a man in need. (2.184).

Ramazan is a month of patience. Every Muslim during the course of this holy month has to observe utmost patience against all provocations. It has been very rightly said by a noted Lebanese writer that, “If you plant your pain in the field of patience, it will bear the fruits of happiness.” The object of fast is to attain righteousness, patience in adversity, steadfastness in deprivation and to increase one’s power of resistance. Fasting places everybody — the rich and the poor, the high and the low — on the same pedestal. Both the well-to-do and the less favoured experience in common the pangs of hunger and privation to an equal degree.

Fasting infuses in a person a great degree of determination and trust in Allah, imparts loftiness to is character and personality. There is a tradition related by Abu Hazim, that the Apostle of Allah once said: “In Paradise there is a gate named ar-Rayyan through which on the Day of Reckoning those who fast will enter, and through which none but they will enter.” It is said that the Prophet during Ramazan was more generous than the rain-bringing wind.

“Muslim fast is not meant for self-torture. Although it is stricter than other fasts, it also provides alleviations for special circumstances. It is not merely a temporary abstention from food and drink but this abstention enables the attention to be directed to higher things” writes Yusuf Ali.

Fasting accustoms us to face hardships of life — by renouncing everyday comforts; we give strength to our resolve and increase our power of resistance.

It must not be forgotten that the primary purpose of fasting during Ramazan is to promote righteousness, which is a progressive cultivation of spiritual values. The Prophet was very particular and emphatic in drawing attention to this aspect of fasting. He said, “he who abstains from food and drink during the period of fasting but does not strive to abstain and safeguard himself against moral lapses, starves to no purpose.”

Commenting on the moral dimension of fasting, Maulana Mohammed Ali Jauhar in his book “The Religion of Islam”, writes “There is also a moral discipline underlying fasting, for it is the training ground, where man is taught the greatest moral lesson of his life — the lesson that he should be prepared to suffer the greatest privation and undergo the hardest trial than indulge in what is not permitted to him. That lesson is repeated from day to day for a whole month, and just as physical exercise strengthens man physically, moral exercise through fasting, strengthens the moral side of his life.”

During Ramazan falls the night of al-Qadr on which day the Prophet received his call and first verses of the holy Quran were revealed at Mt. Hira. “Lo! We revealed it on the Night of Power. (97.1). It is on this night that God’s decree for the year are brought down on the earthly plane.” And Angels and the spirit descend therein, by the permission of their Lord, with all decrees.” (97.4).

“The night of Power is better than a thousand months.” Yusuf Ali interprets this verse as, “A thousand Nights must be taken in a very indefinite sense as denoting a very long period of time. One moment of enlightenment under God’s light is better than thousand of months/years of animal life and such a moment of enlightenment translates into a period of spiritual glory.” The holy Prophet said about al-Qadr whosoever rises up for vigil and prayers during the night of al-Qadr with faith, and in hope of recompense, will have all his previous sins forgiven.

Fasting sanctifies the human personality; it cuts the carnal self to its size: brightens and heightens human virtues; reactivates pious resolves, infuses order, obedience, responsibility, enriches the soul and purifies the body thereby influencing the personality of a Muslim.

Those engaged in trade should resolve not to make this month of blessings a month of profiteering or black-marketing by resorting to hoarding and usury, but to make their behaviour symbolic of the virtues attending it, such as mercy, generosity, truthfulness, endurance, patience and fortitude. Let us not defeat and outrage the primary teaching underlying this fundamental injunction of Islam, because in the final analysis, fasting erases from the believing soul every evil, it perfects and liberates the human spirit and directs it towards common welfare, thus helping in the establishment of a righteous and stable society.