Sydney to Gong Ride

Was one of the 10,000 people who did the 90km Sydney to Gong Ride yesterday. It was a beautiful sunny day with clear blue skies and my longest ride ever. The Gong Ride is a fundraising cycling event to support people living with multiple sclerosis in Australia.

Report highlights factors hindering proper city planning

Peerzada Salman in DAWN:

KARACHI, Aug 26: Too many land owning agencies, weak governance, a vast number of unauthorised katchi abadis (informal settlements) and multiple land ownership are some of the major impediments in the way of resolving Karachi’s land-related problems. This has been revealed in a latest study titled ‘Karachi: the land issue’.

More here.

Adventures in Hingol


Situated along the Makran coast, and occupying an area of about 1,650 square kilometers, Hingol is the largest National Park in the country. The unique terrain of the park is a challenge to the Offroaders with their 4 wheel drives sliding down near vertical river banks, crossing through boulders, shingled land and sinking in soft sand as they make their way towards the noble mountain of Goran Gatti.

Adverse Effects of Ribbon Commercialisation in Karachi


In the past few years the residential areas of Karachi have increasingly been unlawfully commercialized. This has destroyed many residential zones and turned whole areas into commercial districts. Successive master plans have had limited impact influencing development patterns in the city, leaving it unable to cope with the challenges of urban land development.