FOUR years had passed, and memories of the 1965 war were still fresh. On Sept 6, 1969 the Defence of Pakistan Day was celebrated in Karachi with fervour. The heroics and gallantry of the armed forces were recalled in a series of functions and meetings. A notable event was a civic reception attended by the Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Navy, Vice Admiral Muzaffar Hassan. But the main attraction of the day for thousands of citizens was a visit to Pakistan Navy ships at Keamari. An unending stream of visitors, from 10am, crowded the four ships which had been opened to the public after a very long time. The largest crowds were headed towards PNS Babur and long queues of people willing to get a close look of PNS Babur were seen till 4pm. Apart from that, PNS Bahadur and PNS Karaz were visited by many eager citizens. At night, the large vessels were illuminated and a variety of events were held by the sailors on PNS Dilawar. Thanksgiving prayers and Fateha for the martyrs were offered at local mosques, and public and private buildings decorated with colourful lights had the national flag hoisted atop the structures. A large number of men, women and children also went to the mausoleum of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah to offer Fateha.

An exhibition of newspapers of the days of the war was held at the Scouts Headquarters. It was inaugurated by Al-Haj Kafiluddin Ahmad, chief engineer of the PWD. Members of the minority communities joined the celebrations and condemned in unequivocal terms India’s ‘nefarious designs’ on the solidarity of Pakistan. Prayers for the greater glory of Pakistan were offered at the Swami Narain Temple under the auspice of the Karachi Hindu Panchayat. The Catholic Association of Karachi, too, arranged a special service at St Patrick’s Cathedral, where homage was paid to the war martyrs. Members of other faiths, including Parsis and Buddhists, prayed for the well-being of Pakistan at their respective places of worship.

It was a politically charged period of history, by the way. A significant incident on the international front –– the attempt to burn down Al-Aqsa Mosque –– had made Karachi’s administrators express their feelings. On Sept 3, the Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) strongly condemned the burning of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and demanded immediate action against Israel. At a meeting, the city fathers unanimously adopted three resolutions, criticising the arson attack and adjourned the meeting till Sept 4 without conducting any business as a mark of protest. The first resolution read: “The KMC considers this pre-planned act of desecration of Al-Aqsa by Israel as an open challenge to the Islamic world.” Through another resolution moved by Dr Azhar Qureshi, the municipal councillors asked heads of Arab states to call a summit and chalk out a proper programme for the recovery of Israel-held Arab territories. The third resolution called upon President Yahya Khan to take practical steps to convene a summit of Muslim leaders as early as possible. Yes, that was the KMC of yesteryear, unlike today’s which finds itself in a tight corner when asked about why it can’t keep Karachi clean.

Speaking of war and aggression, these days (2019, that is) the city administrators constantly look for ways to deweaponise Karachi. In 1969, even carrying a stabbing weapon without a licence was dealt with strongly by the law enforcing agencies. On Sept 7, Mithadar police arrested three persons for keeping unlicensed daggers.

They were Ashiq Ali, Aba Umer and Sidiq, alias Adda. The police also arrested Zar Khan with a stolen telephone wire weighing 20lbs. Now that’s what you call enforcing the law in letter and spirit.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2019