Owais Mughal

We at ATP like rickshaws and tongas; but we like flying machines too; and not just those from PIA.

Here is a picture of a Handley-Page biplane of UK’s Imperial Airways which was used as a weekly air service between Karachi and Baghdad in 1932. This particular photo shows this plane at a stopover in Kuwait on its way from Karachi to Baghdad in 1934.

Adil Najam

Yes, its the police again. It may be getting excessive. But what can I say, I take justice seriously; how can I not with the name I have. (The picture below is also taken from a post by Asma, via Saad; see here).

The official title of this photograph suggets that the policeman was trying to humiliate the motorcyclist. My own sense is that is not true. It is much more likely that the motorcyclist is trying to charm the tulla to negotiate his way out of a challan. I say this with some conviction because I have done the same; and gotten away with it.

What do you think? And can anyone suggest a title? A sheyr maybe?

Owais Mughal

Clicking on most of the photos here will take you to their source and larger image size.

It was August 1992 and the second year exams at NED’s Electrical Department had just finished. To celebrate the big relief that came after hard work of many months, my friend Umar and I decided to go to Northern Pakistan for vacations. On the day of departure we reached the cantonment railway station. We had first class seats resrved in Tezrau (fast current) express. After we settled down in our compartment and looked around, we found some interesting co-travellers. They included an all-obese family of Karachi, going Muree for vacations. Then there was a Khan of Gilgit going home. He spoke very funny e.g. when he tried to describe a short and healthy person on the train and said:

” woh hai na….woh chota waala, mota waala” (You see him…. that small one and healthy one)

Then there was this fruit lover person sitting next to us. He sampled fruits from each and every vendor that came on the train. In a day’s journey, he almost ate a garden full of fruits. So much so that before our train reached Rawalpindi he had developed food poisoning.

We also had two poet brothers as our companion. All through the journey they kept reading poetry books and occassionally moved their heads from right to left in ecstasy. This was the sign that they understood a ‘sher’ (couplet).