Celebrating Eid dangerously.

KARACHI -- What do Karachiites do to have a good time on Eid holidays? The well-heeled, usually, organise lavish parties or go to high-end restaurants with their friends and loved ones to eat non-desi food in stylish settings. It is the middle class and lower middle class segments of society that step out of their homes to go to the beach, the only spot in the city where infinite possibilities of having fun can be enjoyed without spending a fortune. (Let's not forget, a light purse is a heavy curse.)

Also, what is Karachi without its balmy sea breeze and lovely colonial structures? Answer: a concrete jungle. But every year, one realises with greater regret, how governments underplay the importance of entertainment.

All around the world, beaches are a major tourist attraction for both locals and visitors, so their authorities keep them clean as a whistle and safe as a house. Not here. In fact, sometimes visiting the beach in Karachi can turn into a life-threatening experience, as it happened on Wednesday, the second day of Eid, when two precious young lives were lost as they tried to take a dip in the sea.

Seaview is inarguably the busiest recreational space in Karachi... for those who don't live on the posh side of Clifton Bridge, that is. Every year, people begin to throng the seaside as soon as the sun begins to go down. This Eid, on Tuesday, youngsters riding motorbikes and families crammed in rickshaws were seen moving towards Seaview from midday, when the sun was still ablaze.

There is a lack of comfortable public transport and shortage of lifeguards at city beaches

It is understandable. Karachi's population has increased so much that it is hard to believe what the census figures claim about it. A good number of...