Baithak Desi May 08: sheheryar hasnain's Karachi, Headlines, Cartoons

When I think about Karachi, it is with the sensory overload of childhood: the smell of agarbati and lobaan as I stroll past hawkers and mendicants on the seaside. The snarl of pie dogs as I wander the streets with friends, searching for a patch of grass to play cricket on. The early morning songs of koels, the azaan, the clatter of pots in the courtyard below. The orange sun impossibly big and laddu-like as it sets over the spires and peaks of Mohatta Palace. And inside, the closeness of mothers and aunts - the clack of tasbees, the smell of mustard oil on their fingers. The Flamingo Pan and Juice Shop, where we bought bhel puri and cigarettes, the musky fragrance of guava hanging heavy like decay in the air. The choke of kerosene heaters and burning garbage from squatter camps. Wedding shamianas fluttering in the breeze. The slap of chapals in the stairwell.

The quote is from an essay on Karachi introducing sheheryar hasnain's photography website. The essay paints a wonderful picture of Karachi in word and is worth savouring.

If you live in the US: The Lede: Myanmar Disaster Relief: How to Contribute

Allah hee Allah ker bhaiyya: PPP, PML-N breakup would strengthen dictatorship: Qazi

This is smart if it can be sold: Pak to provide new route for Beijing Olympic extra-flights

No Fateha? Pak turns down Pranab's request to visit Benazir grave
Why indeed? Why doesn’t Deoband’s call find more support?

How do you measure a blog’s success?
Yes we should: Sunni or Shia, we must stand up to al Qa’eda
While the prices escalate: Musharraf’s impeachment may harm economy: Zardari

Negroponte's Murderer's? US trains Pakistani killing machine
Here I come: Zardari, Nawaz to meet in London

And media blames Musharraf's travel budget: Asif, Malik head for London
Pakistani Taleban? Nawaz needs to be watched, US house panel told
Asif Shuja: Pakistan: on the Perilous Path to Democracy