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Pakistani biryani: a spicy recipe for delectable debate

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Karachi: Eying each other across a stream of traffic, rival Pakistani biryani joints vie for customers, serving a fiery medley of meat, rice and spice that unites and divides South Asian appetites.

Both sell a niche version of the dish, steeped in the same vats, with matching prices and trophies commending their quality.

But in Karachi, where a biryani craze boomed after the creation of Pakistan, it is the subtle differences that inspire devotion.

“Our biryani is not only different from theirs but unique in the world,” says restaurateur Muhammad Saqib, who layers his “bone marrow biryani” with herbs.

“When a person bites into it he drowns in a world of flavours,” the 36-year-old says.

Across the road, Muhammad Zain sees it differently.

“We were the ones who started the biryani business here first,” the 27-year-old claims, as staff scoop out sharing platters with a gut-punch of masala.

“It´s our own personal and secret recipe.”

Both agree on one thing.

“You can´t find biryani like Pakistan´s anywhere in the world,” says Saqib.

“Whether it´s a celebration or any other occasion, biryani always comes first,” according to Zain.

International cuisine

British colonial rule in South Asia ended in 1947 with a violent rupture of the region along religious lines.

Hindus and Sikhs in newly created Pakistan fled to India while Muslim “Mohajirs” — refugees — went the other way.

India and Pakistan have been arch-rivals since, fighting wars and locked in endless diplomatic strife. Trade and travel have been largely choked off.

Many Mohajirs settled in Karachi, home to just 400,000 people in 1947 but one of the world´s largest cities today with a population of 20 million.

For Indian food historian Pushpesh Pant, biryani served in South Asia´s melting-pot cities such as Karachi is a reminder of shared heritage.

“Hindus ate differently, Nanakpanthis (Sikhs) ate differently, and Muslims ate differently, but it was not as if their food did not influence each other,” he told AFP from the city of Gurugram outside Delhi.

“In certain parts of Pakistan and certain parts of India, the differences in flavours and foods are not as great as man-made borders would make us think.”

Every Karachi neighbourhood has its own canteens fronted by vendors clanking a spatula against the inside of biryani pots.

The recipe has endless variations.

The one with beef is a favourite in Islamic Pakistan, while vegetarian variants are more popular in largely Hindu India.

Chicken is universal. Along coastlines, seafood is in the mix.

And purists debate if adding potatoes is heresy.

“Other than that, there is Pulao Biryani which is purely from Delhi,” says 27-year-old pharmacist Muhammad Al Aaqib, describing a broth-stewed variation.

“My roots lead back to Delhi too so it´s like the mother of biryanis for us.”

“Perhaps every person has a different way of cooking it, and their way is better,” says 36-year-old landlord Mehran Khoso.

´No secret ingredient´

The origins of biryani are hotly contested.

However, it is generally accepted the word has Persian roots and it is argued the dish was popularised in the elite kitchens of the Mughal Empire, which spanned South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries.

In spite of that pedigree, its defining quality is permutation.

Quratul Ain Asad, 40, spends Sunday morning cooking for her husband and son, Mohajir descendants of a family that arrived in Karachi from the Indian town of Tonk in 1948.

But at the dinner table, they feast not on an heirloom recipe but a TV chef´s version with a cooling yoghurt sauce and a simple shredded salad.

Asad insists on Karachi´s biryani supremacy.

“You will not like biryani from anywhere else once you´ve tasted Karachi´s biryani,” she says.

“There is no secret ingredient. I just cook with a lot of passion and joy,” she adds. “Perhaps that´s why the taste comes out good.”

Cooked in bulk, biryani is also a staple of charity donations.

At Ghazi Foods, 28-year-old Ali Nawaz paddles out dozens of portions of biryani into plastic pouches, which are delivered to poor neighbourhoods on motorbikes.

A minute after one of those bikes stops, the biryani is gone, seized by kids and young adults.

“People pray for us when they eat it,” says Nawaz. “It feels good that our biryani reaches the people.”

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Pakistanis travel to India to attend Hazrat Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti Urs.

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In Ajmer Sharif, a group of pilgrims from Pakistan laid a traditional chaddar before the shrine of Hazrat Khawaja Syed Moinuddin Hasan Chishti.

Today, the traditional Chaddar was deposited at the Shrine of Hazrat Khwaja Syed Moinuddin Hasan Chishti (RA) in Ajmer Sharif by Pakistani Zaireen, accompanied by Mr. Tariq Masroof, Second Secretary, Pakistan High Commission, New Delhi.

A group of 89 Pakistani Zaireen are in Ajmeer Sharif from January 7–9, 2025, to help celebrate Hazrat Khwaja Syed Moinuddin Hasan Chishti’s (RA) 813th annual Urs Mubarak.

Following the traditional chaddar’s placement on behalf of the Pakistani people and government, the delegation prayed for Pakistan’s development and well-being.

The delegation was greeted by notable members of the Anjuman Moinia Fakhria Chishtia Khuddam Khwaja Sahib upon their arrival at the Dargah.

The annual Urs Mubarak of Hazrat Khwaja Syed Moinuddin Hasan Chishti (RA) is attended by Pakistani Zaireen in accordance with the 1974 India-Pakistan protocol for religious shrine visits.

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Imran was granted freedom by the establishment via Naqvi: Marwat

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Sher Afzal Marwat, the leader of the PTI, revealed that Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had suggested home arrest for PTI founder Imran Khan, a proposal that the former prime minister categorically refused.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also proposed the founder’s release on December 22 of last year, but this proposal was also rejected, according to Marwat.

Marwat asserted that there were no further backdoor discussions. He claimed that the meeting would have happened by now if Mohsin Naqvi had been involved in the negotiation process and that PTI members are becoming disillusioned with the government’s unwillingness to participate in a meaningful way.

Because the authorities did not want Imran Khan to speak during the process, the PTI firebrand said that the PTI negotiation committee was not being given the opportunity to meet with Khan. He went on to say that the events of the past few days had disappointed him and that he hoped the PTI team could meet with the party founder tomorrow.

Although the government did not interfere and the authorization was obtained from another source, Marwat said that the government was unable to arrange a meeting between the negotiation committee and Imran Khan. “If the government was interested, the negotiation committee would have met the founder already,” he stated.

“It will be challenging to get back to the negotiation table if this keeps up,” he cautioned. He said that the speaker of the National Assembly had not returned calls, indicating that attempts to reach him had been unsuccessful.

Marwat emphasized how crucial it is that the PTI negotiation team and the currently detained Imran Khan meet every day. He claimed that although the Islamabad High Court had set aside a day to meet with the founder, not a single meeting had occurred.

Despite obstacles, Marwat expressed optimism for improved results and acknowledged some progress in earlier rounds of negotiations. Nonetheless, he insisted that the government could not permit a meeting with such helplessness. He said that both the PML-N and the PPP had previously shared the PTI founder’s position. “If some mercy was shown towards us in the last couple of years, our attitude would have changed,” he added.

According to Marwat, the government’s words and deeds paint a “dark picture.” He notably cited Khawaja Asif’s remarks and the PTI leadership’s response, calling them unhelpful.

Marwat minimized hopes of Trump’s possible comeback and rejected recent comments made by US President-elect Donald Trump’s aide Richard Grenell. We do not believe that Trump’s reelection will be advantageous to us. He declared, “We have faith in the judges.

He warned that more instability might result from further delays in his conclusion. “The future will be much worse than the past if we do not act now,” Marwat stated, restating PTI’s resolve to find a peaceful solution while holding the government responsible for its deeds.

“PTI made backdoor contacts.”
In a separate, exclusive interview with Samaa TV, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan revealed that the party has set up backdoor contacts for talks prior to November 26. Formal discussions, he added, could not start. “No one, including Mohsin Naqvi, talked about the release of the PTI founder,” Gohar asserted, adding that he had not been informed of Imran Khan’s house detention in Bani Gala.

PTI Founder Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan disclosed earlier in the day that her brother had been repeatedly approached for a backdoor deal, including one that involved house detention at Bani Gala.

Aleema told the media after visiting Khan at the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi that Ali Amin Gandapur had offered her brother house arrest, but she stressed that no one had spoken to Imran Khan personally about these suggestions.

“Imran Khan has had offers of deals ever since day one, but no one has approached him directly. Aleema Khan stated, “At Bani Gala, Ali Amin Gandapur presented the offer of house arrest. Her brother was also counseled to keep quiet and not speak out.”

According to his sister, Imran Khan has repeatedly turned down such offers during his more than one and a half years in prison. Aleema questioned why, after spending so much time in jail, he was placed under home arrest. “If a backdoor deal was going to occur, it would have already occurred,” she said.

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In interbank trade, the Pakistani rupee modestly appreciates versus the US dollar.

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In the interbank market, the Pakistani Rupee increased by 0.03% against the US dollar during Monday’s early trading session.

The rupee strengthened by 8 paise against the dollar, reaching 278.48 as of 10:10 a.m. By ending at 278.56, the rupee had lost 9 paise the day before.

Globally, Monday saw a minor decline in the US dollar, but it was still close to its two-year high. In order to obtain additional understanding of the Federal Reserve’s interest rate strategy, traders are anticipating US economic data, namely the December non-farm payrolls report.

The Chinese yuan also garnered notice when, following a strong defense by the People’s Bank of China in December, it dropped below the psychological level of 7.3 per dollar for the first time in 14 months.

Last spotted, the offshore yuan increased by 0.15% to 7.3487 per US dollar, while the onshore yuan fell by 0.05% to 7.3252 per US dollar.

The speeches that various Federal Reserve policymakers are scheduled to give this week, in which they are anticipated to restate their positions on inflation and the continuous fight against price increases, are also attracting market attention.

Expectations of fewer interest rate reduction from the Fed have helped the US dollar gain strength, and last week it reached a two-year high. Meanwhile, the euro fell to its lowest level in more than two years.

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