KARACHI, June 14: Pakistan’s politicians may refer to Mohammad Ali Jinnah as the Father of the Nation and the Quaid-i-Azam, but their dedication is not enough to prevent heritage sites related to their leader from falling into ruin. Dawn has learnt of the collapse of a portion of the second-floor balcony of Wazir Mansion – Jinnah’s birthplace in Kharadar.
The collapse occurred a few days ago while a worker was chiselling at the wall in an effort to remove the plaster.
The chiselling was being undertaken as part of the 2003-2008 Wazir Mansion Project, aimed at renovating and preserving the historical building.
Project director Mohammad Shah Bokhari, from the Department of Archaeology and Museums, confirmed that a portion of the balcony had collapsed but did not know exactly when it had happened. He said that the structure had probably given way because it had been weakened by seepage. Mr Bokhari added that a private consultant, Kamran Ahmed, had been approached and “repair work would hopefully start soon.”
According to Mr Bokhari, responsibility for the collapse has not been assigned to any one, and no action will be taken. This, despite the fact that Wazir Mansion is protected under the Antiquities Act 1975 which prescribes heavy fines and long prison sentences for any person found guilty of damaging a protected site.
When Dawn visited the site on Thursday, a section of the balcony was still hanging in the air, teetering over the pile of debris on the ground. According to Riaz Khan, who lives next to the mansion, the collapse was accompanied by a lot of noise. Coming out of his workplace, he saw that the debris had fallen on his parked motorcycle and damaged it. Another resident, Abdul Ghani, said that the balcony came down in a cloud of dust but fortunately, no one was injured.
In another display of inefficiency and carelessness, a former project director – just a few days before his retirement – spent large sums of money purchasing air conditioners and other equipment that were to be installed after the building was completely restored. This equipment is rotting in store-rooms and their warrantee period has lapsed.
According to the current project director, the equipment was bought over a year ago and he could offer no answer as to why it was acquired before the restoration work was completed.
Meanwhile, Karachi’s proud memorial to Jinnah, the Mazar-i-Quaid, is also suffering at the hands of negligent caretakers. The tomb’s white marble dome is currently hidden under a thick layer of dust and grime; it has clearly not been cleaned or washed for a long time. Perhaps the officials of the Quaid-i-Azam Mazar Management Board are waiting for the rains to wash the dirt away.
However, these officials show no hesitation in spending large sums of money in renovating the Board’s nearby offices, which boast expensive aluminium windows and split air-conditioners.
Clearly, the comfort of government officials takes precedence over preserving the memory of the man who made their status possible.
KARACHI, June 14: Pakistan’s politicians may refer to Mohammad Ali Jinnah as the Father of the Nation and the Quaid-i-Azam, but their dedication is not enough to prevent heritage sites related to their leader from falling into ruin. Dawn has learnt of the collapse of a portion of the second-floor balcony of Wazir Mansion – Jinnah’s birthplace in Kharadar.
