पाकिस्तान – आवारा मुसाफिर

Flamboyant pink palace endures traces of vanishing past in Karachi

September 15, 2024198 Views

Stained glass windows, a sweeping staircase and embellished interiors make Mohatta Palace a gem in Karachi, a Pakistani megacity of 20 million people. Peacocks roam the lawn and the sounds of construction and traffic melt away as visitors enter the grounds. The pink stone balustrades, domes and parapets look like they’ve been plucked from the northern Indian state of Rajasthan, a relic of a time when Muslims and Hindus lived side by side in the port city. But magnificence is no guarantee of survival in a city where land is scarce and development is rampant. Demolition, encroachment, neglect, piecemeal conservation laws and vandalism are eroding signs of Karachi’s past. The building’s trustees have fended off an attempt to turn it into a dental college, but there’s still a dec...

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Amazing record: Skiing down all of Karakoram 8K peaks

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

July 27, 2023986 Views

After skiing down K2 Polish adventurer Andrzej Bargiel conquers new feat Polish mountaineer Andrzej Bargiel etched his name in the annals of history when he reached the summit of Gasherbrum I, standing at 8,080 metres, at 4:15 am local time on Wednesday before undertaking an unparalleled ski descent without supplemental oxygen. This unprecedented achievement establishes him as the first person to have skied from the summits of all the Karakoram eight-thousanders, marking a milestone in mountaineering history. Andrzej Bargiel seen post summit and ski descent of Gasherbrum II, Pakistan on July 19, 2023. Andrzej Bargiel is no stranger to monumental feats. In 2015, he was the first man to ski down Broad Peak (8,051 m), and in 2018, he achieved the seemingly impossible, skiing down K2...

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Pakistan orders malls to close early amid economic crisis

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

January 4, 2023836 Views

Authorities on Wednesday ordered shopping malls and markets to close by 8:30 p.m. as part of a new energy conservation plan aimed at easing Pakistan’s economic crisis. The move comes amid talks with the International Monetary Fund. On Tuesday, Pakistan Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif and Minister for Power Ghultam Dastghir said the government decided to shut establishments early as part of the new energy conservation plan approved by the Cabinet. Authorities also ordered wedding halls and restaurants to shut at 10 p.m. People visit a market for shopping in Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary) The government expects these measures to save energy and curtail the costs of imported oil, for which Pakistan spends $3 billion annually. In Pakistan, ...

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Exclusive dining: Pakistani hole-in-the wall dishes up faves

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

December 14, 2022267 Views

No menu. No delivery. No walk-ins. Advance orders only. Explanations and instructions while you eat. Welcome to Baking Virsa, a hole-in-the-wall in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore described as the country’s most expensive restaurant for what it serves — household favorites like flatbreads and kebabs. It attracts diners from across Pakistan and beyond, curious about the limited offerings, the larger-than-life owner, and the rigid, no-frills dining experience that sets it apart from other restaurants in the area. The windowless space opens out onto Railway Road in Gawalmandi, a neighborhood crammed with people, vehicles, animals, and food stalls. Restaurants belch out smells of baking bread, frying fish, grilling meats, and opinionated spicing into the early hours of the morni...

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Climate catastrophe in Pakistan

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

August 28, 20221067 Views

Deaths from widespread flooding in Pakistan topped 1,000 since mid-June, officials said Sunday, as the country’s climate minister called the deadly monsoon season “a serious climate catastrophe.” Flash flooding from the heavy rains has washed away villages and crops as soldiers and rescue workers evacuated stranded residents to the safety of relief camps and provided food to thousands of displaced Pakistanis. A man looks for salvageable belongings from his flood-hit home surrounded by water, in Jaffarabad, a district of Pakistan's southwestern Baluchistan province, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Zahid Hussain) Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority reported the death toll since the monsoon season began earlier than normal this year — in mid- June — reached 1,033 peop...

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Women mountain climbers from Pakistan, Iran reach K2 summit

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

July 23, 2022698 Views

Pakistan’s most celebrated women mountaineer Samina Baig and another woman mountaineer from Iran have becom the first from their countries to scale K2 on Friday, the world’s second-highest mountain and one of the most dangerous summits, a mountaineering official said. A second Pakistani woman scaled the summit minutes later. Samina Baig, a 32-year-old from a remote northern village in Pakistan, was the first to hoist her country’s green and white flag atop the peak of the 28,250 foot-high (8,610 meter) K2. Samina is also the first Pakistani woman to climb Mt, Everest as well as first Pakistani & first Muslim woman to climb 7 summits in 7 continents. Samina Baig on way to K2, She attempted the summit last year as well. Iran’s Afsaneh Hesamifard followed shortly after and was h...

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At least 16 stranded snow-tourists die at Pakistan hill station

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

January 8, 2022602 Views

Almost 1000 vehicles stranded in snow at Murree, many die in cars At least 16 tourists died in freezing temperatures after being stranded in their vehicles in northern Pakistan, where thousands had flocked to enjoy the snow, officials said on Saturday. With some 1,000 vehicles still stranded, the government has declared Murree, 64 km (40 miles) northeast of the capital Islamabad, a calamity hit area. Vehicles stuck under fallen trees are seen on a snowy road, in Murree, northeast of Islamabad, Pakistan in this still image taken from a video January 8, 2022. PTV/REUTERS TV via REUTERS “For the first time in 15 to 20 years such large number of tourists flocked to Murree, which created a big crisis,” Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Pakistan's interior minister said a video message. The m...

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Skiing down a towering 6,178m peak in Karakoram

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

May 10, 2021515 Views

K2 conqueror Andrzej Bargiel has become the first person to climb the towering 6,178m Yawash Sar II peak in Pakistan before skiing down. The ski mountaineer summited K2 in 2018 without oxygen and skied from peak to base without removing his skis – a seemingly impossible challenge which had never been completed before. In 2018, a Polish expedition also set out for Yawash Sar II to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Polish independence by reaching the summit but plans were thwarted by avalanche conditions. This time, Bargiel and his Karakoram Ski Expedition team (with partner Jędrzej Baranowski , Darek Załuski, Kuba Gzela and Bartłomiej Pawlikowski) set off into the Karakoram mountain range 10 days before making history. Andrzej Bargiel seen skiing down Yawash Sar II during his ...

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From the highways to the skies: Truck art goes airborne

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

January 2, 2021516 Views

Pakistan’s famous truck art will move from its highways to the skies, as a flying academy is painting a two-seater Cessna aircraft with the colourful technique. With elaborate and flamboyant motifs, Pakistani truck art has inspired gallery exhibitions abroad and prompted stores in Western cities to sell miniatures. A two-seater Cessna aircraft painted with Pakistani truck art is seen at general aviation area at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan, December 30, 2020. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro “We want to show the world that Pakistan is not all about Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and terrorism issues; it a very diverse country and a land of opportunities,” Imran Aslam Khan, chief operating officer of Sky Wings, a flight training organisation, told Reuters. He also...