Kasur has been in the news for all the wrong reasons lately. Everyone in Pakistan (and abroad) has been talking about Kasur. I also thought to myself a number of times: ‘What kind of people live in Kasur?’ I imagined the city to be extremely primitive and gloomy with weird looking rapists (with long mustaches) walking around. I read articles which talked about the dark side of the city with hundreds of child abuse and child pornography cases yearly.
Two days ago, I was in office when my colleagues said they have arranged a trip to Kasur to have fish. Due to my preconceived notions, with a grin, I asked ‘Hamara kya kasur hai k hamein Kasur leja rahe hain?’ (What have we done wrong to deserve a trip to Kasur?) A colleague who is from Kasur, gave me a dirty look. The team convinced me and said “Their fish is delicious, let’s go!” I am always in for an adventure and love exploring new cities so I agreed.
So yesterday evening, we started from Lahore office for Kasur at 5:30 pm. The new ring road made part of the drive really dreamy. There were some pushy motorcyclists on the never-ending Ferozpur road but it wasn’t that bad. We reached there in about an hour and ten minutes.
After parking our cars, we went on a Kasur city tour and visited Bulleh Shah’s tomb (durbar & mosque). Necklaces of rose petals were gifted to us girls. Sweets were being distributed among poor kids by the management. We then walked to the old city in their tight walkways full of motorcyclists. It was an experience of its own. There were cute and colorful shops on both our sides; sweets, handicrafts, spices and more. We reached Javed Fish Corner and sat inside the restaurant.
The moment I entered, I could smell fish. After settling down and chatting with colleagues, our order arrived. Fried fish full of sumptuous dressing, hot fluffy naans, Chutney, Raita (yogurt) and soft drinks. The fish was really deadly. We had a feast indeed. Everyone insisted we should eat with our hands in the desi way so we enjoy more. The dirtier, the better!
Finally when we had absolutely no space left in the stomach, we stopped gobbling. We got some fish packed up for our families. Walked in tight walkways of the old city towards a sweet shop which is famous for its Andrasay filled with either Gurh or Khoya. They also have good Soon Halwa, Phenian and Kasuri Falooda. The shop was in the middle of a junction where bikers passed frequently. It was such a tight path that our standing there caused serious traffic jams. But we were too busy ordering more Andrasay for our families. Kasur is known for its Mirchain (spices) too.
We strolled through the old city. I noticed ladies, families, children and normal looking men casually walking around us. There were hardly any beggars and people typically minded their own business. I couldn’t see any men who resembled the freaks from my imagination. After last night’s trip, my image of Kasur changed for the better. I wouldn’t mind going there again for the sumptuous fish treat. I realized things are probably not as bad as media portrays.
If you ever want to try this delicious fish, you can reach the place by entering ‘Driver’s hotel, Kasur’ on your google maps. You can park your car next to it in the parking area. There is a walk about 10-15 minutes to Javed Fish Corner. It is highly recommended. It was a day well spent.
Loved this article. I’d visited the place when I was nine years old. It’s nice hear something nice about the place for a change. Thanks for an interesting blog.
Thanks mama for reading and commenting. Love u