Violence and Corruption and Drugs. (Oh my!) It's just Karachi, The Most Violent City in Pakistan
PhilAsify reviews the VICE Guide to Travel: Karachi, Pakistan
of my hood, show you wat we livin' like
Walkin' like a man, finger on the trigger
Got money in my pocket, I'm an uptown n----
--"Neck of The Woods" Birdman ft. Lil Wayne
This past weekend I sat down and watched the Vice Guide to Karachi, Pakistan. For those who don't know, VICE is a Montreal and New York City based magazine and media entity known for its whacky news columns. Their style falls in the same category of Maxim, Manswers, TMZ in that it pokes fun at pop culture and world affairs and has that sarcastic, expletive-laden and blunt sort of way it conducts its journalism that guys love.
Some of their more interesting documentaries have been travel guides to dangerous and crazy places in the world, getting a glimpse of how things operate and how a citizen can get by doing things they wouldn't want their parents to know. Their very latest series that has been posted up is their Vice Travel Guide to Karachi, Pakistan. I have a link to video 1 below and you can follow the 5 video series after the first clip ends. I do want to warn you that it's not for the faint of heart and is definitely not a brochure to the beauty of Pakistan.
Instead it gets into the dirty, underbelly of Pakistan where corruption, violence and drugs run rampant. I found this video particularly disturbing since not only am I Pakistani, but they highlight the part of Karachi where the majority of my relatives reside. The documentary left me heartbroken for the state of a once peaceful and prosperous city and country. Here are a bullet point of some of my thoughts and observations:
- I haven't gone to Pakistan since I was 11 in 1998. Members of my immediate family have since visited and from the looks of it things have gotten a lot worse. I remember things looked ghetto as hell and cousins and uncles making me aware of areas I shouldn't tread near.
- I knew that my uncles and such carried glocks on them to make sure no one messed with their property and family. For the most part no one messed with my Uncle Lala and he has mad respect in his community.
- Uh oh, they are talking about the Baloch brothers! (I'm of the balochi peoples, last name is Balouch) This Uzair Baloch guy is painted as some sort of hoodlum, but it seems in this video that everyone deserves blame and no one is a saint by any means. Uzair seems to be doing what he can to help his neck of the woods and he seems to have to crack some skulls to get it done. Not condoning that but when things get desparate what can you do?
- My heart breaks for the Pakistani youth. These kids just are so off the beaten path to the point of no return. There's no decent mentors, no reliable system, a lack of decent education, nothing that can keep them out of trouble. Because of the hopelessness of their situation, they're relegated to just taking their frustrations out to the streets, joining gangs and jumping into drugs. I worry for my young cousins their and make dua for them more then ever now after seeing this video that they dont get swept up.
- Pakistani police suck donkey testicles. Absolutely shameful job they do.
- I don't have any words to describe that Nabil Gabol guy without backbiting. He is the the politician that somehow got voted in by Lyari citizens and treats them like crap and its stated that he doesn't come around his constituency and hasnt in 4 years. He comes by has a quick glass of milk and jets and thinks he's done is part and that they love him. Pffff!
- I never understood all this ethnic divide. It's just absolutely retarded. Pashtuns, Muhajirs, Balochs, Sindhs, Punjabis and all the other crap. We all look the same idiots! And we are all Muslim too! Why the heck are we killing eachother? Just because of our last name? Allah have mercy on these ignorant fools. It just gets ridiculous when people become racist and prejudice when they look the same. It's no better than the Indian caste system.
- Man where are the sunnah beards? Everyone is just Burt Reynolds'ing it in Pakistan. And it seems the ones that have beards are labeled extremist or talibanish? Get outta here!
- Makes me pretty glad that I live in America. My parents could've very well had me and my siblings born and raised in Pakistan but they jetted. My other relatives weren't so lucky. Again my duas go out to them and I thank Allah for America to at least give us solace from the constant daily hell that my relatives and Pakistani citizens have to go through.
- Those poor junkies. "It'd be best if you just shoot us sir. We are embarrassing our country, we'd be better off dead."
- 18 million folks in Karachi!? My goodness, spread yourselves out! Easier said then done, I know. I know Karachi is a port city and that's where all the money is at but that's just way too many folks in one place, people are bound to go insane when they're stuck in a sardine can.
- Pakistan needs some type of uprising similar to the Egypt and Libyan government overthrows. But before that can happen, this stupid sectarianism and ethnic divides need to quit and everyone needs to be on the same page. Stop acting like your crap doesn't stink, everything stinks in Pakistan!
- This is further proof that Islam is the solution for everything in that country. Yeah, Islam is the dominant religion in Pakistan but the majority of folks are either illiterate, ignorant or just don't give a crap about Islamic rules and principles. The racism, corruption and violence and all the other societal ills is what Islam came to squash. If they just followed it properly, they'd be better off and the entire country would flourish like it did when it became independent.
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