The architecture of any land is a physical record of its cultural history. The region which is now called Pakistan has seen diverse throngs of settlers and rulers and the evidence is in the architecture. The land itself might not be able to tell tales of the millions of different feet that stomped and walked across it but the buildings and houses lay out all the facts. Alas, the architectural heritage of Pakistan is not as well preserved as one would hope it would be.
If someone in Pakistan is asked about the old architectural structures of the country in this day and age, they will most likely shrug their shoulders in obliviousness. The people are mostly unfamiliar with old architecture but they cannot be blamed because most of the existing pre-partition structure present in the country has either been razed down or is crumbling down to its demise. Is it a result of rotten luck or sheer ignorance on the part of the authorities? Does the architectural heritage of Pakistan stand a chance of survival? Is anyone in power shining a light on this cause or working towards bringing glory to the old buildings in the country?
The partition of the sub-continent and independence of Pakistan is hailed as a victory for all the Muslims of the region and while it might be true, many tend to forget how it changed the face of the entire region. Even before the official announcement of the partition, people on both sides understood that if they did not migrate to an area where they are in the religious majority, they will be ruthlessly persecuted by others. Hence, to avoid death and ruin, millions of people crossed over the borders and this is how the newly born country of Pakistan saw its first and biggest influx of people in the first few months. As the country was birthed keeping Muslims in mind, the migrants were Muslims, and the majority of the Hindus either fled to India, leaving their entire lives behind. As put beautifully by Akthar Baloch, a researcher interested in the heritage of Karachi, “Every brick of the heritage building narrates a story of those who left in 1947…. They built them with love and affection.”
The empty homes left by the people were not enough to settle the huge population of the refugees nor was there any time to formulate a proper plan or construct residential areas smartly. Thus, hastily built buildings and homes sprung up throughout the country.
The brunt of the mass exodus was suffered by major cities like Karachi, Lahore, Hyderabad, and more. The metropolitan city and business hub of the country, Karachi, has been seeing a steady population growth from the time of independence. Hameed Akhund, former secretary of culture and heritage department of southern Sindh province has pointed out, “Karachi’s population was only 400,000 at the time of partition but now it has already crossed 15 million, according to official estimates, and over 20 million as per unofficial estimates.” He further added, “This has understandably created a huge opportunity for the real estate industry, that is why hundreds of old-styled buildings have been replaced by skyscrapers in the city in recent decades.”
When talking about other reasons behind the crumbling state of some of the magnificent colonial-style buildings of Karachi, Akhund remarked, “Secondly, a large number of old buildings are either illegally occupied or even the legal occupants are paying the rent like 150 rupees [$1.3] to 250 rupees ($2.1), which had been settled at the time of partition…. Therefore, on the one hand, these occupants do not worry about the maintenance of these buildings, while on the other hand, the owners do not concern about the repair.”
From time to time, the government of Pakistan tends to mark down some buildings and call them heritage sites, and even allocates funds for them. In 2018, an order was issued from Lahore High court to start the restoration of some pre-partition buildings like the town hall, museum, and GPO. The famous mausoleum of Qutub ud-Din Aibak was renovated splendidly on the orders of Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa allocated Rs. 61 crore for the purchase of 25 pre-partition buildings which included the houses of the famed Bollywood actors Raj Kapoor and Dillip Kumar.
Despite the existence of government organizations for the preservation of heritage in the country, it seems that the authorities are overlooking many pre-partition buildings that were or are owned/belonged to Hindus. Right beside the Qutub-ud-Din Aikba mausoleum is a Hindu temple that is in shambles. After the partition, Muslim refugees started living there and now it houses apartments and shops. Further adding to the evidence of the local authorities’ bias towards Hindus is another pre-partition time building (near the mausoleum) in ruins which used to have the name “Jia Ram” on it but was scratched out. Mirroring this story is another narrated by Amus Samid of the 150-year-old Jaag Nath Akhara Temple in Karachi. The temple’s state is dismal and as Samus sadly stated, “The government and the Hindu property trust have no time for repairing or preserving this type of temples located in the poor localities…. They are interested in glitzy mansions and huge towers.” She further expressed her worry, “If the government or the Hindu trust do not take some urgent steps to save this temple from complete destruction, you will probably see a huge concrete plaza at this site in the next few years.” Also, read about presidential and prime minister system.
Despite the government’s biasness in the matter and the public’s negligence, some pre-partition buildings are still standing tall. In Karachi, the Saddar area is littered with old colonial-style buildings that have a whiff of historical importance. The Karachi Municipal Corporation was built in 1932 and the stone architecture is a remnant of the British’s fondness for Anglo-Mughal style. The structure was constructed with red Jodhpur stones from Rajasthan and yellow stones from Gizri Hills.
Every resident of Karachi has either heard of or been to Empress Market which was named after the Empress of Britain and was built between 1884-1889. Located in the center of the city, people come to the market building to shop for groceries, pets, stationery, clothing, and more.
Mohatta Palace is an enchanted little palace located in Clifton and was constructed on the orders of Hindu Prince Shivratan Chandraratan Mohatta in 1927. It was built to be a summer home but when the Prince left for India after the partition, Fatimah Ali Jinnah inhabited for some time. Today, the palace has been transformed into a museum and an art gallery.
There are a few noteworthy pre-partition structures left standing in the country but most of them are in a deplorable state. The government seems to have turned a blind eye towards bringing such buildings back to their antique glory. As Akhund put it, “Whatever are the reasons but the end result is we are fast losing our architectural treasure.” The only way around it is if the authorities put aside their prejudices, legitimately put aside funds for restoration, and raise awareness regarding the heritage of the pre-partition architecture.
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