Pakistan’s storm Asna: Legend of the Karachi saint who can ‘stop cyclones’

A cyclone could soon hit Pakistan’s most populous city. Karachi has Sufi saint Abdullah Shah Ghazi’s legacy to fall back on.

Fears of a cyclone loom over Pakistan’s southern city, Karachi, which lies on the country’s Arabian Sea coast.

The city saw school closures and weather advisories on Friday after a night of sporadic rainfall.

Yet, amid worries over the impending storm, Karachi has history on its side – many tropical cyclones that were expected to hit the city eventually skipped it. And devotees of the city’s patron saint Abdullah Shah Ghazi, whose shrine is in Karachi, believe it is Ghazi, and a cyclone-related legacy, which protect Karachi.

Here is more about Asna, the legend of Ghazi and what the science says about why Karachi really tends to avoid being hit by cyclones.

A tropical cyclone could develop and hit Pakistan, authorities warn. If it does, it will be named Asna. A deep depression, which is a very strong low-pressure area, over the Rann of Kutch in India’s Gujarat has slowly moved towards Pakistan.

As of Friday, it is 200km (124 miles) from Karachi, according to a warning issued by the Pakistan Meteorological Department. This depression is expected to turn into a cyclonic storm due to favourable weather conditions, the warning added.

Some areas of Karachi received 147mm (5.79 inches) of rain overnight on Thursday, a local weather office reported. “I would urge the residents of Karachi especially bike riders to avoid unnecessary movement,” Karachi’s mayor, Murtaza Wahab, wrote in an X post on Thursday evening.

It’s been raining since last 3 days & in the next few hours, it is expected that there will be heavier rainfall with strong winds. I would urge the residents of Karachi especially bike riders to