Today, Karachi is a megalopolis of nearly 18 millions people. A real demographic boom occurred after the partition of 1947, when millions of Muslims from northern India came to settle in the city which was then the capital of the young state. As a mega-city, Karachi is both the economic and financial capital of Pakistan, but also the capital of crime. More than ever, politics and crime are closely intertwined and it is proved that political parties use criminal gangs to feed their coffers. During the last decade, the prospective role played by the Taliban captured the attention of observers. The Afghan Talebans are certainly active in Karachi, but they are mostly interested in raising money through criminal activities, and they do not seek to implement a "talebanisation" of the city. And what about the millions of people living in Karachi who have to deal their day to day life in a city which remains very dangerous? For some of them, admittedly a minority, leaving a miserable day is through adherence to an ideology, political or religious, in which violence is the most meaningful expression. Interestingly, such a way is followed by youths who are breaking with a dominant patriarchal society. Negociating day to day life in female context is based on numerous micro strategies of neighbourhood which are successful in maintaining peaceful relations between different ethnic groups and sects.

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