THIS is regarding the report concerning the destruction of an iconic structure (Oct 20). According to the reporter, the PIA Squash Complex has been demolished, and has been replaced by the Jehangir Khan Sports Club, a commercial enterprise.

I recall that the original squash courts had been commissioned by Air Marshal Nur Khan in the mid-seventies, and inaugurated by former prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. The innovative building was much praised for its modern design, and has been mentioned in many articles and books for its architecture.

For this groundbreaking addition to Karachi’s sports facilities to be levelled by an individual for his own profit is deeply distressing. How could PIA possibly hand over its two-and-a-half acre plot to Jehangir Khan in the first place? And then how did he get permission to construct a commercial project on an amenity plot?

Only in Pakistan could such a triumph of greed over aesthetics take place without a public outcry. PIA and Jehangir Khan have much to answer for.

IRFAN HUSAIN
Karachi