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KARACHI DIARY

SORTS REPORTER from Karachi
The old and new coexist in Karachi peacefully but it seems that the older part dominates the life of the former Pakistani capital. The port city, unlike its counterparts in the north, is very crowded and you
would not realise it unless you stroll through the city centre, or Saddar as it is called. The broad metallic roads and the posh villas near the Clifton Beach is like a paradise to the common people who live in dirt, dust and smoke. And it is also ill-reputed as the most dangerous city in the country. The first advice for any foreigner would be to never move alone. Mugging and snatching are everyday threats, especially to tourists who carry expensive goods and currency. So moving in a group is sensible and the Bangladeshi reporters covering the SAFF Championship hired a car for two weeks to avoid trouble and the hazard of dealing withlocal taxi driver's everyday.
'HORFUN MOULA'
Within a couple of days, we realised that Talib -- the driver -- is quite a character and a true 'horfun moula' (a man who can perform any task). The lean and thin 45-year-old has become our local guardian and when we learned that he has already fathered ten sons and two daughters, we instantly believed that he could take care of the lot from Bangladesh. From taking us to the stadium, practice venues, team hotel or restaurants, he has been helping us change foreign currency or buy SIM cards or mobile sets apart from browsing through the markets. Although Karachi wakes after 11am, he would be at your service from 10am until midnight, ignoring two sick offspring at a hospital. When asked, he would smilingly say that his wife was good enough to look after the domestic front. Even at the media centre, he would not let you leave your seat to go for lunch, and rather he would bringit himself.
THE TRUTH!
Only if the organisers would have been as caring as Talib, things would have been much easier. After two days' of wilderness, the internet connection was restored but a local expert working with the Karachi City Government complained that they were actually told to set up the network the day before the start of the meet.
"We provide wireless internet connections to the Karachi National Stadium and other international venues. But the People's Sports
Complex is hosting its first-ever international football tournament. The location is also backward. So we needed at least five days to set up modern facilities. It was impossible for us to do all these in 24 hours," said the expert seeking anonymity.
It hurt the Bangladeshi media men most because they felt betrayed by their own man. Bangladesh Football Federation vice-president Sirajul Islam Bachchu, also the general secretary of organisers South Asian Football Federation, who had claimed in Dhaka in mid-November that 'he has taken care of media facilities'.
SUPPORT
When the Bangladesh football team played a warm-up game as part of their preparation for the SAFF Championship, the stands of the Bangabandhu National Stadium were empty. But at least 12,000 Bangladeshi expatriates cheered them on with enthusiasm, never letting the footballers feel that they are about 1,500 miles away from home. About eight lakh Bangladeshis, almost 80 per cent of the Bangladeshi community in Pakistan (unofficial source), live in Karachi and you would often walk into one from the motherland.
Bashir works at a juice shop in Saddar and has been here for 18
years. At first sight, no one would realise that the bearded man in 'Kabuli' dress is actually from Noakhali. While having dinner on a street-side restaurant, he suddenly surprised us with a few Bangla words: Bhai kobe ailen (Brother, when did you arrive)?
A similar surprise awaited us at a sea-food stall near the Clifton when we were asking for the name of an unknown fish at display and discussing among us whether it would suit to our taste or not. The seller's response was: Bhai khaite parben, chinta nai (No problem, you can eat it). It was Alam from Maheshkhali, who has been living here since 1985. "The last time I went to Bangladesh was six years back. I don't want to go back and soon, my young son will join me at this stall," Alam said.
His associate Mohammad Rafique works at the Karachi Port Trust but his eyes show signs of drug addiction. He knows about his namesake in the Bangladesh national cricket team but has been suffering from amnesia and often talks about Naya Paltan and Mirpur, which he thinks are same places.