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In the shadows, Pakistan's growing drug culture
Illegal substances all the rage in Islamic state's underground scene
KARACHI, Pakistan - At least 200 people, most in their twenties or thirties, partied away at a recent warehouse party dancing to U.K.-based DJ, Danny Howells' album for Global Underground.
Many stood on high platforms, their hands and eyes raised to the DJ?s booth on a balcony. They wore glow-in-the-dark bracelets, sunglasses, designer sports wear, and canvas shoes.
The scene could have been in London or New York, but this "rave" took place in the industrial area of Karachi, where you could name your poison and have it within minutes.
Dealers dressed in baseball caps, baggy jeans and loose t-shirts milled around selling ecstasy for as low as $11 and as high as $25 a tab, cocaine for about a $100 a gram, acid for $10 a hit, and fifty grams of hashish for about $15.
The gathering, one of many in Pakistan's financial capital, demonstrated how the drug culture common to many Western capitals, has made inroads in one of the world's strictest Islamic states.
Upsurge in market
Along the walls of the rave there were lounging areas separated by drapes hanging from the ceiling. You could barely see inside, but you could smell the air thick with hashish. Outside the curtain there was a bar lined with foreign brands of whisky, vodka, gin, wine and beer.
There was a long line outside the bathroom of people frantically chewing gum, clearing their noses with Vicks inhalers, and pacing as they waited for their turn to go in and snort a line of coke. One of partygoer laughed, saying the bathroom was one of the most popular spots at Karachi parties.
The rave carried on till well into the next day. By six in the morning, a young married couple was popping more tabs to be ready for the after-hours session.
The party scene has always existed in the elite circles of Pakistan; but drugs have become far more frequent accompaniment over the past five years.
for more of the article, click the link
In the shadows, Pakistan's growing drug culture
Illegal substances all the rage in Islamic state's underground scene
KARACHI, Pakistan - At least 200 people, most in their twenties or thirties, partied away at a recent warehouse party dancing to U.K.-based DJ, Danny Howells' album for Global Underground.
Many stood on high platforms, their hands and eyes raised to the DJ?s booth on a balcony. They wore glow-in-the-dark bracelets, sunglasses, designer sports wear, and canvas shoes.
The scene could have been in London or New York, but this "rave" took place in the industrial area of Karachi, where you could name your poison and have it within minutes.
Dealers dressed in baseball caps, baggy jeans and loose t-shirts milled around selling ecstasy for as low as $11 and as high as $25 a tab, cocaine for about a $100 a gram, acid for $10 a hit, and fifty grams of hashish for about $15.
The gathering, one of many in Pakistan's financial capital, demonstrated how the drug culture common to many Western capitals, has made inroads in one of the world's strictest Islamic states.
Upsurge in market
Along the walls of the rave there were lounging areas separated by drapes hanging from the ceiling. You could barely see inside, but you could smell the air thick with hashish. Outside the curtain there was a bar lined with foreign brands of whisky, vodka, gin, wine and beer.
There was a long line outside the bathroom of people frantically chewing gum, clearing their noses with Vicks inhalers, and pacing as they waited for their turn to go in and snort a line of coke. One of partygoer laughed, saying the bathroom was one of the most popular spots at Karachi parties.
The rave carried on till well into the next day. By six in the morning, a young married couple was popping more tabs to be ready for the after-hours session.
The party scene has always existed in the elite circles of Pakistan; but drugs have become far more frequent accompaniment over the past five years.
for more of the article, click the link
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