In the early days of Pakistan there was no concept of living in apartments; specially, with families. There were no skyscrapers and I wonder if anyone had even heard of something like a skyscraper except in newspaper stories detailing life in countries far away.
Karachi was flat and in the few buildings that did provide accommodation; this is what the apartments were called. Yes ‘flats’ was the common name of apartments in those days.
Some famous flats included the ones on Burnes Road which still exist till today though, I am sure, by now they are referred to as apartments not flats. Living in flats was not very popular and in those days most of the population lived in houses, which in many areas were part of military barracks that had been converted into housing and allotted to government servants of different cadres.
Many well-known people like Shan Ul Haq Haqqi, famous poet, critic, translator, journalist and broadcaster have lived in these barracks. His last assignment was deputy secretary when he retired in 1977.
He also lived in housing carved out of military barracks and right across from my home, which was also part of a barrack. These were well-organised places with safe running water that came directly to your home 24/7 and though some people, who were over-cautious, boiled it; there really was no need for it as it was quite safe. For many years while we lived there I would come home thirsty and the first thing I did was drink water directly from the tap without ever incurring any problems. That was a different world altogether and our lifestyles in the pre-apartment era living.
Forgot to mention the cool breeze that kept us and our houses cool as there were no obstructions in its path and even in summer we never felt the need for an air conditioner.
What kept everything running smoothly was, believe it or not, a government department: the PWD (Public Works Department). It responded to all calls efficiently, and every facility functioned well.
Times have changed. Today, apartments are the name of the game, and every couple’s dream is a two-bedroom apartment. However, living in apartments is not the bed of roses that once attracted thousands to this lifestyle. The old times flats are now almost extinct and the new apartments flourish though with some severe problems.
The main problem all apartment owners face is supply of water or lack of it. Now most of the apartment complexes have administrative committees and in most cases they are the result of yearly elections, which surprisingly are mostly fair and the elected given due powers to run the administration of the apartment complex.
Getting elected and running an apartment complex is actually a very difficult task though apparently it seems easy. I think the most important and difficult task is collecting the monthly dues from every apartment. This collection is for several expenditures, such as electricity bills, salaries of employees like chowkidars, cleaning persons, and other staff, and the bill for the water tankers that supply water to the complex.
In most apartments, there will always be residents who love to make a nuisance of themselves.
Every month the chowkidar has to chase them for their dues which they keep postponing on one pretext or the other. These are individuals who also demand the best of services and in case there are any delays in supply of water or any other facility will raise hell, demanding the resignation of office-bearers of the association.
Security is also nowadays a big challenge for apartment dwellers as recently there have been several cases involving murder and dacoities and in some cases victims’ bodies were lying around for weeks without other residents being aware of it.
In apartment dwelling the problem is that you do not choose your neighbours. Anyone who has the desired cash can move in and unfortunately sometimes criminals become next door neighbours and you have to bear the consequences.
Apartment living is now the dominant culture in the metropolitan city of Karachi. The dream of many people to own an apartment that is sometimes fulfilled and sometimes denied. This has its pitfalls and advantages, and it continues to grow as apartments continue to take shape and appear on the Karachi skyline. With all its problems this presently is the trend and growing each day.
The skyline is now overshadowed with skyscrapers and despite its problems continues to grow unabated. Each building fulfilling more dreams as one tries to overshadow the other.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
The writer is a well-known columnist