Saddar

Bus tour aims to dispel Karachi security fears

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• published: 17 Nov 2016
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(12 Aug 2016) LEAD IN: What's claimed to be Karachi's first and only guided bus tour is attempting to dispel fears over the city's security. The Super Savari Express enables locals and visitors to experience Karachi's sights and sounds but also its ethnic, cultural and religious diversity in a new light. STORY-LINE Pakistan's biggest port city, Karachi, is widely considered to be unsafe. Not just for tourists, but for locals too. There's street crime and regular security problems. Attempting to dispel that perception is the 'Super Savari Express', claimed to be Karachi's first and only guided bus tour. The unique venture guides locals and foreign visitors to Karachi's supposedly off-limits areas. On Sunday mornings, groups of up to 50 people gather outside the office of a local travel agency. They then embark onto these colourful buses, each adorned with traditional truck and bus art. The tour guides visitors not only to colonial-era Karachi monuments and landmarks, but also to elements of everyday city life. It's led by 21-year-old Jehanzeb Salim, who's the de facto tour guide for the trip and also the head of operations at Super Savari Express. Inside the bus, there's no air-conditioning and the music is loud, Jehanzeb informs passengers there's also no concept of "personal space". Despite that, passengers grab themselves a seat, while Jehanzeb shares information about the city's history. "The entire idea that we had with this, the entire intention, was to give people an opportunity to see their own city," he says. "Because we felt there was a disconnect that existed and that was what we wanted to try and bridge at the moment, okay. "With this entire tour, we basically wanted people to get a feel of the religious, cultural and ethnic diversity that exists in the city and give them a first-hand experience of it." By helping visitors experience parts of the city they might not usually venture to, the tour is becoming a hit with locals as well as foreign visitors. Along with colonial-era landmarks and monuments, the tour also explores Karachi's rich and diverse history, including its many religious landmarks. The 'New Memon Mosque' at M. A. Jinnah Road, a busy Karachi thoroughfare, dates back to 1948. Inside, the tour guide regales the group with stories from the mosque's past while some take the opportunity to take photos. Jos Gradstein is visiting Pakistan from her native California and joined other passengers in climbing on the bus roof for a panoramic view of the city. "I thought that the mosque was really amazing," she says. "I enjoyed wearing a hijab, I don't get to do it very often so that's exciting. And I think Karachi is a really cool place with lots of culture and awesome food." Also travelling on the roof is her sister, Helen. "It was really interesting to see the architecture that's over 300-years-old, to see the different stages of Karachi, of the city over the last 300 years," she says. "It was also pretty interesting to see different types of monuments and sites and different points of heritage that aren't quite as common that you don't actually always know about." In Karachi's downtown Saddar area, once the heart of colonial Karachi, the group visits the 'Empress Market,' a hundred-year-old structure that was named to commemorate England's Queen Victoria. Usually abuzz with activity, the atmosphere is slightly sedate on Sunday mornings. It's here the Super Savari Express passengers are able to experience the sights and sounds of the city close up. The trip also includes visits to Karachi's newer additions, like this street art. The city's 'I Love Karachi' wall pays tribute to Pakistan's indigenous truck art. Visitors are able to pose for pictures and marvel at the various murals. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/a7d6400289d4accbb7378ff4a80a3e76 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork