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The Chai Files - Pakistan

Karachi Company

November 22, 2011 by Imaan 11 Comments

It had been a while since we’d gallivanted, so Bear and I dragged the Dad Man out to Karachi Company at G9 while Mars was at her Arabic class. I’d always wondered why a market in Islamabad would be nicknamed Karachi Company. It turns out that back in 1978, a construction company from Karachi built the apartment complexes in that sector.

My kids LOVE this crazy, chaotic market. There are numerous stores and makeshift stalls that sell anything and everything for much cheaper than elsewhere. Take my floss hunting for example – last week, my kids and I were practically busting out of our skins with excitement when we’d found embroidery thread going for 12 rupees a skein in our neighbourhood haberdashery. That’s S$0.17/US$0.13 per skein – a HUGE price difference from the S$0.80/US$0.62 that we normally pay in Singapore! Then we went to Karachi Company where the floss was EVEN CHEAPER at 8 rupees a skein! Needless to say, we began entertaining insane notions of buying every colour they had in stock. (We managed to contain our lunacy, don’t worry… good thing we made the supplication for entering the market!)

Here is the haberdashery that unleashed the stitching madness in us…

This is one section of the store – you can see shelves of lace and a bazillion threads all lined up against the wall. It is funny, but I have not been able to find cotton sewing threads. (I’ve been told that it is best to use cotton threads as it does not ‘eat’ into your fabrics.) This country produces cotton and most people I know prefer wearing cotton, but the sewing threads are all made from polyester.

Here is another section of the shop, with even more lace and beads that can drive you to dizziness and distraction!

These haberdasheries are known simply as “lace shops” here as it is essentially the lace that the womenfolk flock to them for. Practically everyone here wears the shalwar kameez and while there are boutiques that sell ready-made ones, most people get tailor-made ones, be they for everyday wear or special occasions. A great deal of effort goes into getting these outfits made – buying fabrics, designing the the outfits and choosing the trimmings. Sometimes ladies employ dyers to get their outfits and shawls to match *just so*. I’m often asked why I don’t wear the shalwar kameez. While I rather LIKE it and used to wear it on occasion, I find it all too bothersome (and costly!) to do all that shopping.

In addition, the world of shalwar kameez fashion evolves constantly! While it may seem to outsiders that one outfit looks much like another, nothing could be farther from the truth. Trends change every season. Last winter, long, streamlined blouses were paired with straight cut pants. By summer, the blouses were even longer (almost ankle length) and voluminous and pants were cut even wider, palazzo-style. This winter, it looks like the churidar shalwars are in fashion – these are pants that are bunched up tightly along the lower calf. Even laces are subject to fashion trends – at one time, broad ribbons were popular, then heavy elaborate laces were in vogue… it’s all too much for me!

My rowdy ruffians love clothes but they can tolerate only so much lace hunting :) They much prefer checking out knick-knacks at stalls like the one below.


This makeshift stall, located just outside the haberdashery, sells henna, bangles, ear-rings and hair accessories. If your daughters tend to lose scrunchies and hair pins like mine do, then buying them for cheap at these places is the way to go :)

We walked on and I remembered the food stalls I had seen a couple of years ago. I remembered an entire section of the market teeming with food stalls selling kachori (a round pastry filled with meat or lentils), jilebi, samosas and other sinfully scrumptious deep-fried fare. Unfortunately, those food avenues are only set up in Ramadan – the vendors operate at their smaller shops the rest of the year. We did find some other places selling food…


Here is a section of Karachi Company selling meat, poultry and fish. Back in Singapore, we had a good supply of fresh sea-food but in Islamabad, a more inland city, it isn’t as popular. Check out the man carrying the strange duster at the end of the stall – the stick with the long wispy ends. His job is to flick away the flies! Many store-owners own those witchy looking things – very useful to smack away pests and also dust.

Round the corner, we saw a traditional medical hall. This shop reminded me of the Chinese sinseh in Singapore. There is of course a strong Islamic tradition in Pakistan and so homeopathy, herbs and other remedies recommended by the Sunnah are very much in use here. Most people who suffer coughs and colds will go for honey, ginger and the ubiquitous Joshanda!

Drawers and drawers of herbal goodness.

The head honcho surrounded by remedies.

Then there are the fruit stalls… we don’t have a plethora of choice like in more developed countries. Supplies vary according to season, so you have to exercise some patience if you want mangoes in winter or oranges in summer. The fruits and vegetables here don’t look very pristine – they look quite small and brusied even at times, but trust me, their appearance belies their beautiful taste and flavour. It must be because the produce here isn’t chemically altered… pretty much organic!


Oranges, pomegranates, bananas and guavas are pretty much standard winter fare. We have apples too but other than the imported Fuji apples which are quite pricey, most of the apples are not the crispy sort. I just make apple sauce out of them!


Dried fruits and nuts are also very popular snacks here. This vendor has raisins, dates, walnuts, almonds and peanuts that you buy by weight. He also sells packaged nuts that are encrusted with sugar and sesame. I love pine nuts – they are absolutely delicious, but a little more expensive. There are strings of dried figs at his store too, hanging by the rope if you look closely.

When we got back to our car, we saw this vendor at the parking lot. He doesn’t even have a stall – he just sells his wares right off his bike! He is the Pathan man in the white cap sitting a distance away. Bear was so taken by the woven baskets that she begged for a small one. The large flat tinselly ones are often used by fruit vendors I believe.


Bear was eyeing the ones on the right – the beige ones with the brown designs. She eventually settled on a basket that came with a lid, which looks like one of these. They look a lot like the kind snake-charmers use! We just use them for our toys or needlework supplies.

That was the end of our giddy-gaddying, as we like to say it. Mars was awfully sorry she’d missed the outing but I assured her that in shaa Allah we will go back :)

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Yesterday, I had a sobering chat with my friend wh Yesterday, I had a sobering chat with my friend who is a member of a minority group here. (I am keeping things vague for her safety and mine.) She has a relative who is also a friend of mine. 

In both my early encounters with them, I’d always sensed an air of reserve and secrecy. I understood that we had different beliefs, but I could not understand what I perceived as fear. Not being a native here in Pakistan, I’d had my share of bewildering and unfathomable encounters, so I’d left things at that. Maybe I’d understand in time to come, I thought.

They had always been very kind to me and I tried to reciprocate as best I could. For all our (acknowledged) differences in opinion and belief, we found some common ground and focused on doing some good. My friend’s relative donated science kits as well as books for my homeschooling gang and I’ll always be grateful for that. 

I read news yesterday about how my friend and her people do in fact live in danger. She told me how she fears for her husband’s life every single time he leaves home. She jumps every single time her doorbell rings. She worries about sending her daughter to school for fear of bullying or worse… Target killings of her people are a reality.

It made me feel so ashamed because this is tragic and downright disgraceful for any country, but even more so for a Muslim one. 

It’s OK to disagree. It’s OK to debate. It is NOT OK to terrorize and it is NOT OK resort to violence. It is wrong and it is unjust and it is EVIL to do so. When dealing with people of different beliefs, can we not be civilised? Can we not be HUMAN? Can we not behave the way our deen taught us? 

We need to find a way to make things better. It is not right to allow people who know precious little about Islam to desecrate it. 

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#islam #minorityrights #knowyourreligion #pakistan
Journalists say this time it is different. Rushdi Journalists say this time it is different.

Rushdi as-Sarraj, Yasser Murtaja’s friend, told Al-Jazeera, “This task is difficult under normal circumstances, so you can imagine working under a fierce offensive that does not distinguish between a journalist, a civilian or a military leader.” Israel is working hard “to silence the image and voice, and to ban any news or information that exposes its crimes”.

He also says, “My family doesn’t stop calling me, fearing that I could be harmed. It is an endless circle of fear and exhaustion. But we must continue sharing our message.”

Praying for Muna El-Kurd @muna.kurd15 , her brother @mohammedelkurd and all the journalists putting out the truth. 

#palestine #freepalestine #freemunakurd #freemunaelkurd #savesheikhjarrah #savesilwan #savelifta #savemohammedelkurd
«THROWBACK, Summer + Winter 2019» «We returned «THROWBACK, Summer + Winter 2019»

«We returned to the park after the lockdown earlier this year… sadly our tree for all seasons is no more 😢»

FOREIGN LANDS by Robert Louis Stevenson
Up into the cherry tree
Who should climb but little me?
I held the trunk with both my hands
And looked abroad on foreign lands.
I saw the next door garden lie,
Adorned with flowers, before my eye,
And many pleasant places more
That I had never seen before.
If I could find a higher tree
Farther and farther I should see,
To where the grown-up river slips
Into the sea among the ships.
To where the roads on either hand
Lead onward into fairy land,
Where all the children dine at five,
And all the playthings come alive.
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#throwback #pakistan #islamabad #lifeinpakistan #lifeinislamabad #homeschool #homeschooldays #homeschoolcoop #homeschoolinislamabad #homeschoolinpakistan #naturediary #naturejournal #science #charlottemason #charlottemasoninspired #charlottemasoneducation #charlottemasonnaturestudy #charlottemasonliving #charlottemasonhomeschool #cmnaturestudy #cmnaturejournal #naturewalk #natureramble #naturestudy #naturejournal #homeeducation #outandabout #ilookisee #islamabadhomeschoolers
A couple of you asked me to make a post of my stor A couple of you asked me to make a post of my story in response to LV’s despicable use of the keffiyeh design. Pictures in this post are from hirbawi.ps and @palestine.pixel … 

EDIT: yes, my second slide should have been edited and it is bugging me. I repeated 1930s… sorry! If you want a more polished version, DM me. You get my meaning anyway, right? 
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#palestine #freepalestine #keffiyeh #gaza #jerusalem #savesheikhjarrah
«YET ANOTHER THROWBACK, Jan. 2020» I was feelin «YET ANOTHER THROWBACK, Jan. 2020»

I was feeling a little out of sorts (again) – I’d left the house a mess (again) and the boy and I were in a rush to get to the Art Co-op. Habiba @ourlivinghomeschool was doing a session on Wassily Kandinsky that day. 

We were delayed by a massive traffic jam and our stress levels rocketed when an obnoxious motorist kept sounding his horn repeatedly as if to shoo other cars out of the way. What was everyone else to do but wait for the jam to ease? 

We made it just in time though…barely! As we ran towards the gathering, it was as if a huge weight was lifted away. This gorgeous view greeted the boy and me, alhamdulillah. When we got down to studying Kandinsky, we felt more than fine.

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#pakistan #islamabad #lifeinpakistan #lifeinislamabad #homeschool #homeschooldays #homeschoolcoop #homeschoolinislamabad #homeschoolinpakistan #naturediary #desidiaries #charlottemason #charlottemasoninspired #charlottemasoneducation #charlottemasonnaturestudy #charlottemasonliving #charlottemasonhomeschool #cmnaturestudy #cmnaturejournal #naturewalk #natureramble #naturestudy #naturejournal #homeeducation #outandabout #ilookisee #islamabadhomeschoolers #artcoop #artoutdoors
«THROWBACK, Mar. 2019» Once upon a time before «THROWBACK, Mar. 2019» 
Once upon a time before Covid.

The calm before…

We had our Monday meet up again at Fatima Jinnah Park. The air was cool and crisp and the skies sunny when the nature gang got together. Then, it was on to a jolly game of Simon Says – Katelynn’s @_k8erpotater clever way of teaching the kids about body parts and how they move.

The kids did their usual tree climbing and exploring. Then, the dark clouds started rolling in. We took a while to decide whether or not to leave – the park literally looked dark and ominous on one side and cheery and bright on the other. We only started rushing for home when lightning split the sky. The kids were not to be hurried, however. They felt little pellets hitting them and stopped to investigate… hailstones!

Our ramble was cut short and I got cold and wet, but I think it was a gorgeous day. We got to learn about nature in a very real way.
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#pakistan #islamabad #lifeinpakistan #lifeinislamabad #homeschool #homeschooldays #homeschoolcoop #homeschoolinislamabad #homeschoolinpakistan #naturediary #naturejournal #science #charlottemason #charlottemasoninspired #charlottemasoneducation #charlottemasonnaturestudy #charlottemasonliving #charlottemasonhomeschool #cmnaturestudy #cmnaturejournal #naturewalk #natureramble #naturestudy #naturejournal #homeeducation #outandabout #ilookisee #islamabadhomeschoolers
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