Owais Mughal
Karachi is going through a big infrastructure overhaul these days. Many roads are dug up for building signal-free corridors. This has shifted traffic load to lesser known roads. One such route, which is taking the burnt of traffic load is the University Road to daak-khana chowk (post office intersection) Liaquatabad route via Sindhi Hotel.
I passed through Liaquatabad daak-khana chowk many times during my 2 week stay in Karachi in January of 2007.
During these travels through daak-khana chowk I noticed a traffic policeman trying to manage the traffic and failing miserably. Many people obeyed him while others just passed by as if he was not present there. I saw him in the mornings with a smile on the face, in the afternoons with a frown and in the evening he seemed to transform into a totally berserk monster. One evening I saw him lunging towards a motorcycle, which was going the wrong way, with both arms waving, as if to hit the rider. While motorcycle guy should,ve been cited, I couldn’t believe the actions of this policeman. He had appeared to have gone totally mad. He was waving both hands to traffic, stomping feet and cursing aloud at bus drivers.
Photo to the right shows traffic jam at Liaquatabad Daak-khana intersection.
While most of the people stuck in this traffic were part of a motion and following the instincts of survival of the fittest, I was sitting in the car watching it as a neutral observer. Nothing of what I saw appeared normal to me. It looked like a big mad house of chaotic traffic where everyone wanted to move ahead of others. I was thinking about what lack of discipline has brought us to this sorry state as a nation.
Controlling chaotic traffic on Karachi roads is a thankless job. 
I felt bad for the traffic policeman. For whole day he had to inhale diesel, petrol and carbon monoxide which I believe also add to one’s mental lack of attentiveness (due to presence of lead particles). If traffic police wants to keep these guys healthy, they should be provided at the very least with smoke masks.
Photo to the left shows a portion of the Daak-khana chowk. The road under the traffic lights goes to Sindhi Hotel. Click on the image to get a larger view.
After few days of passing through daak-khana chowk, I saw another interesting phenomenon. The traffic control at daak-khana chowk was so out of control that a seemingly mentally challenged person jumped in the middle of the intersection and started mimicking the actions of a traffic policeman. 
The photo to the right shows this mentally challenged person trying to mimick actions of a traffic policeman. The traffic policeman also appears to be looking on in the background.
Many people started obeying this man’s orders while the real traffic police constable looked on in amusement. One afternoon, I was once again sitting in the traffic thinking about who was actually mentally challenged here. The people with unannounced fine mental health and who were openly ignoring traffic signals OR this person with a certified mental problem who had volunteered to make some sense out of the chaos at daak-khana chowk and trying to make people obey traffic rules.
A video clip showing one of the many Karachi traffic jams of recent years can be seen here.
Owais: Time to also report on the signal free corridor just inaugurated by the President. Having travele don the road with tons of signals many times, I can safely say I could not have agreed more with the need for such a passageway, even if it meant a lot of trouble for the residents along the way, and cost a lot of money. We sometimes tend to ignore it, but just the amount of money that people traveling on this route will save in petrol in a few years is going to be easily worth much more than the cost of construction. Kudos to the government for at least taking this one and getting it done. http://dawn.com/2007/02/10/top1.htm
Now I hope for something to be done about public transportation in the city. It sucks, and frankly, has become a major symbol of the growing gap between the rich and poor in our city. I now meet an entire generation of Karachi defence/clifton walas who have never been on a city bus, while one cannot miss poor souls hanging at the bus door steps in the dead heat of the summer!
MB, yes you can
There are many unknown helpers (right called angels by Adnan) who try to help others in their own way. I have myself seen many conductors clearing passage for themselves and others too. Similarly there are other people helping brothers in different ways.
A thought provoking last paragraph i must say. If its okay can i post it at KMB as well ?
Daak-khana chowk is one of the mad-houses of karachi. Infact, all the main chowks, chowrangis and streets turned into mad-houses filled with lunatics and psychos from 8am to midnight. ‘Development Work’, VIP movement and Nature (rains for example) have turned us Karachities into a maniacs.
these volunteers are like “angels” for people who often get stuck in heavy traffic jams. yesterday I got stuck near Lasbela bridge and traffic was jam from the round about of Lasbella to Pehli Chorangi nazimabad. Many volunteer drivers came out and tried to help traffic police. The worst thing is that signals stop working on such exceptional situations[rain,visit of the dictator etc].
BTW, did you try famous fish at Daak-khana? or I should say have you ever tried that fish in your life. That’s very delicious experience and people who visit Karachi MUST try fish of that “Thela wala”. Also famous gol gappay of liaqatabad will make your life more spicy.