Daily Times

Karachi is the largest and most populous metropolitan city but heritage and old buildings seem in danger as no proper attention from the federal and provincial government is given to them. Karachi is the capital of Sindh, and is also known as the ‘City of Lights’. Moreover, it is considered to be the economic hub of Pakistan and needs to be given concentration to save its traditions such as heritage sites and the buildings made in the era British occupied India before the separation of India and Pakistan.

In the past, the administration was not keen on working to maintain the heritage of Sindh and of Karachi.

Also Culture Tourism, Antiquities Department under which Antique and Archeology Department has been working wonders since 2016. On the other hand, statements made by Manzoor Ahmed Kanasro over notified properties as protected heritage is worrisome, since there are 1644 under progress buildings are supposed to be given full attention by the director general of the department. But I think we are too late to save our heritage sites.

Chaukhandi Graveyard, Memon Goth has already been varnished as well as the Tomb of Pakistan’s founder; these two places can easily be observed by several parties. Many departments worked together to mend and color, but when it comes to mending other place of Karachi like the Manora Fort which is known as Qasim Fort is not being considered by the government, this place is very important and very old, and many people from all over Pakistan visit it when they come Karachi. Moreover, foreigners also visit this place, if there is no interest to polish and refresh historical possessions, people in future will forget all about the fort.

I want the government to work on restoring old buildings and to save our past. After seeing DG Manzoor Ahmed Kansro’s work to save the heritage sites, many say that Sindh is in safe hands and it is expected that he will work wonders in the future

The largest city in the Muslim world is suffering such issues and one of them is saving the heritage. I think that if the current government can remove over 50 illegally constructed restaurants and shops by using the anti-encroachment department of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) in Hill Park, so why can’t they take steps to save some. People are wondering that the conservation for the heritage building is not on them, and the constructions of new buildings in a lot of areas of Karachi including Gulshan-e-Iqbal are also harming the vision of the city and that the towering buildings will hide the structural gems of Karachi.

I think that Karachi also needs more buildings. The city has more than 20 million people but in the current census, the several of Karachi refused to accept it since the population size was cut down deliberately by the government to show as if the Urdu Speaking communities are in minority and not in the majority. This may be true or just something told by political bigwigs. But the construction of buildings will require more and more electricity which now we are lacking and are searching new sources to deal with.

We may have lost something in the recent anti encroachment drive: one of the busiest areas of Karachi Saddar was established in 1839, after the arrival of British, in competition with the markets of the native city which were located within and on the periphery of the walled city of Karachi, mainly in the areas of Kharadar and Mithadar. After the annexation of Sindh in 1843, the British administrative and military functions were located in Saddar and its environs. Here, civic and religious buildings of the Christian and Parsi communities are still available. The area also became very important because of the public transport terminal of a city that, by 1941, had a population of 450,000. Bus routes terminated here and it was an important tramway junction. As an observant, I regarded a large number of buildings which were not in the consideration of local, provincial and federal governments.

As I remember  the last year more than 200 buildings of Karachi were declared protected sites under the Sindh Culture Heritage (Preservation) Act 1994 majorly the Empress Market, Hindu Gymkhana, Mama Parsi Building, Burns garden, newly renovated Pakistan Chowk, Aram Bagh, Sobhraj Chetumal Maternity Home, Freemasons Lodge (also called Sindh Wildlife Building), Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) building, Muslim Gymkhana, NED University old city campus, Dayaram Jethmal (DJ) Science College, Old State Bank building (Victoria Museum), Haji Abdullah Haroon Building, Sindh Zamindar Hotel, Shams Lighthouse Building, Coffee (Wasumal building) House, and Ganga Ram Building.

PTI was said to bring change in Pakistan and promised to fix the wall clock or the big watch on the lighthouse of Empress Markets but nothing has been done.

Talking about old buildings with rich past, the Karachi Press Club is a majestic Victorian style building. One of the buildings, reflects the residential architecture of the wealthy class of that period started in 1958, now it has been handed over to the authorities after varnishing and it looks as it did decades ago.

I want the government to work on restoring old buildings and to save our past. After seeing DG Manzoor Ahmed Kansro’s work to save the heritage sites, many say that Sindh is in safe hands and it is expected that he will work wonders in the future.

The writer can be reached at shahry1977@gmail.com and Tweets at @maferozi

Published in Daily Times, January 28^th 2019.