My trip to Karachi, Pakistan after 7 years
The last time I went to Pakistan was in 2016. It was just months before the 2016 US Presidential Elections. Donald Trump had become President of the United States. His election campaign focused on banning Muslims from the US. He got a lot of heat and support from it. His election meant going to Pakistan wasn’t possible until he was out of office or I became a US Citizen.
I was a Permanent Resident when Trump became President. My family thought me traveling outside the US was risky given me being a Muslim male from Pakistan might lead to further questions and possibly not allowing to be let in. 9/11 changed the world a lot. I stayed in the US and got my Citizenship in 2022. Trump was out and Biden came in. I had my Passport! Going to Pakistan was a possibility.
Karachi felt mostly the same, the same as I last saw in 2016 to what I was seeing in 2024. The traffic was bad, the roads bumpy, the same unregulated minibuses, the pollution, lack of public mobility by feet especially for women. There were few changes I was seeing. Karachi is building a lot of high-rise buildings, some air-conditioned buses operating and a Metrobus line expanding near the neighborhood I resided and a lot of restaurants.
However, the political climate in Pakistan changed for the worse. Imran Khan was ousted as Prime Minister from Pakistan in 2022. The powers-that-be of Pakistan did everything in their power to destroy him, from arresting him and sentencing him in prison to arresting, detaining, forcible quitting and even killing members of his own party. Politicians like Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari who have criminal records are campaigning freely. What kind of world do we live in?
I was not ready to go to Pakistan until the General Elections of 2024 were done and things went ‘stable.’ Given the chaos that has been initiated since Imran Khan’s ouster in 2022, I hardly believe things will get stabilized after the Elections. The truth is out among the masses. They know who is running the show. Things will not be easy this time for the powers-that-be of Pakistan.
Personal circumstances compelled me to visit Pakistan in January 2024. I was afraid because I have written a lot on Medium regarding Pakistan’s elite. You can visit my previous blogs expressing my support for Imran Khan who is now Enemy №1. I went to the United Nations to protest against Pakistan’s caretaker and puppet Prime Minister Kakar in 2023. I was afraid I would get arrested on Karachi Airport.
Thankfully, that didn’t happen! I was cleared to enter my city of birth, Karachi, my country of birth, Pakistan.
Karachi felt mostly the same, the same as I last saw in 2016 to what I was seeing in 2024. The traffic was bad, the roads bumpy, the same unregulated minibuses, the pollution, lack of public mobility by feet especially for women. There were few changes I was seeing. Karachi is building a lot of high-rise buildings, some air-conditioned buses operating and a Metrobus line expanding near the neighborhood I resided and a lot of restaurants.
More women were working which was a huge plus. Even in Karachi Airport I saw more women working than before. Women were still lacking on the streets of Karachi. The women who I saw were wearing abayas and head scarfs which to me looked less for religious reasons and more like a shield against male gaze and harassment.
Karachi is not a safe city. I was too afraid to take my iPhone with me anywhere I went. Mobile snatching is very common where two men on a bike rob your phone on gunpoint. It is a problem that has been consistent since the early 2000’s but got worse in the 2010’s. It declined a little but has restarted. There are certain neighborhoods in Karachi where you are more likely to get robbed. A Careem driver told me that he went to a neighborhood for fifteen minutes and his car battery got stolen. Imagine?
There was really nothing to go and explore. Sea View was one option but I didn’t go. My only public spot was Lucky One Mall where I went on three occasions.
There were other changes I was seeing which were more visible in a mall like Lucky One and supermarkets. More women were working which was a huge plus. Even in Karachi Airport I saw more women working than before. Women were still lacking on the streets of Karachi. The women who I saw were wearing abayas and head scarfs which to me looked less for religious reasons and more like a shield against male gaze and harassment.
Souvenir shops were something else I was seeing in Lucky One Mall. I guess with the influx of tourists, Pakistanis decided to showcase their soft image through souvenir items. Plus, I saw more foreigners coming at Karachi Airport which was also a plus.
Small changes lead to greater things.
My trip to Karachi lasted only two weeks. It was invested with spending the most time with family members who I hadn’t seen in a long time. Plus, I was seeing new family members because some of my cousins had gotten married and now had children. Many were inquiring whether I was getting married or coming to Pakistan to find a spouse.
Overall, my trip went good. I realized that Karachi and Pakistan still holds value in my heart like New York and the United States. I cannot disassociate myself from the country I grew up in. It is sad where Pakistan is at right now. The dismissal of Prime Minister Imran Khan has accelerated a lot of problems the country was going through. It has definitely brought good like the powers-that-be have been exposed.
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