KARACHI: Reopening of Frere Hall book bazaar not in sight
By Bahzad Alam Khan
KARACHI, July 25: The Sunday book bazaar has not been held on the lawns of the 19th century Frere Hall for the past two months largely because of the lack of coordination between the district coordination officer
and the executive district officer of the city government's community development department.
When contacted, Community Development EDO Iqbal Ahmad Zubaidi told Dawn on Saturday that he had not been able to speak to the DCO about the closure of the book bazaar for the past two months.
"We sent a file to the DCO, asking him to allow us to make alternative arrangements for the Sunday book bazaar. He wrote on the file that I should speak to him by phone. I have not been able to contact him for the past two months," he said.
Hundreds of book lovers were turned away from the Sunday book bazaar when law-enforcement agencies tightened up security on the roads leading to Frere Hall on May 30.
Sources in the city government's community development department said that the provincial home department had sent no official letter, saying that the book bazaar should not be held. They added that police officials on duty turned away the booksellers and customers.
Dawn has it on good authority that the former Karachi corps commander, Lt-Gen Tariq Waseem Ghazi, had ensured that the book bazaar remained functional when it was closed last time following a terrorist attack in the city.
The Karachi Nazim, Naimatullah Khan, told Dawn on Saturday that the Sunday book bazaar had been closed because of security reasons. "The city government did try to make alternative arrangements for the book bazaar but they were not as successful as we had hoped.
But I will look into the matter and ensure that the book bazaar is restarted," he promised. The Sunday book bazaar was closed following two bomb blasts in front of the Pak-American Cultural Centre which occurred in quick succession on May 26, killing a policeman.
Booksellers told Dawn that they had been informed by the city government that no book bazaar would be held on Sunday at the Frere Hall in view of the breakdown of law and order.
One of the senior-most booksellers at the Sunday book bazaar said: "If the government closes the book bazaar every time it fails to maintain law and order, booksellers will soon find themselves in dire financial straits. We are fast losing heart.
The government cannot seem to make up its mind whether it wants the book bazaar to continue or not." Bookseller S.M. Khalil said that most booksellers were interested in holding a book bazaar at the Polo Ground on Dr Ziauddin Ahmad Road.
"But the city government insists that the book bazaar be held at the Kashmir Complex. But I don't think that many people would visit the Kashmir Complex. However, the city government has made no alternative arrangements for the book bazaar for the past two weeks," he said.
Policemen posted on Fatima Jinnah Road and Abdullah Haroon Road said they were under orders not to allow people to go past the US consulate and the residence of the US consul-general.
They added that even pedestrians were not allowed to walk past these buildings. Earlier, the Sindh government closed the Sunday book bazaar on Aug 24, 2003 at the request of the US consul-general. However, the Karachi Nazim, Naimatullah Khan, reopened the bazaar after a gap of two weeks.
