Those were the days when the dreaded acts of violence were not as frequent as they became in the beginning of the 21st century… and haven’t yet left us completely. But what happened in Karachi on Nov 1, 1970, as relayed by the media to the whole world on Nov 2, had an imprint of 21st century gory episodes. Here’s what took place on Nov 1 as per a newspaper report. A shocking tragedy struck Karachi airport during the welcome ceremony for the Polish head of state Marian Spychalski who arrived in the city from Rawalpindi. In the blink of an eye, the festive event was turned into a grim one when a catering van rammed into the line of VIPs who had come to receive the visiting dignitary just as he was shaking hands with them. The incident took lives of the Deputy Foreign Minister of Poland, Z Wolniak, two local photographers — Ashraf Beg and M Yasin — and the Deputy Director of Intelligence Bureau, Chaudhri Nazir Ahmed.

The special plane carrying the president, Madame Spychalski, and his entourage landed in the Sindh capital at 11.10am. The Polish leader was received by the Governor of Sindh, Lt-Gen Rakhman Gul, and the Navy C-in-C, Vice Admiral Muzaffar Hasan. He was then taken to the reception area. As the president finished shaking hands with diplomats and some Pakistani nationals, the van came out from behind the plane, took a U-turn and at great speed hurtled towards the VIP line. Before they could realise what had happened, the vehicle had crashed into them, dragging many who had come under its wheels and rattling behind the line in front of the ramp of the incoming luggage room of the airport building. Apart from those who died in the incident, several persons got injured. The driver of the van was identified as Feroz. The reason for his gruesome act was being investigated.

The other subject that grabbed the headlines that week was the high prices of consumer goods and edibles. It was the holy month of Ramazan. On Nov 4, a city market survey revealed that prices of eatables and other consumer goods continued to show a steep upward trend. Mutton and beef which were earlier sold at Rs6.25 and Rs2 per seer were now selling at Rs7 and Rs3, respectively. On the first day of Ramazan mutton was sold for as high as Rs8 per seer. Similarly, there was a 25 to 30 per cent increase in the cost of mustard oil, potatoes and all kinds of lentils. Among the fruits, bananas which could be bought for Rs1.50 per dozen were now being sold for Rs2 — and at some places for Rs3.

In a related report, food adulteration had also become an issue. So, on Nov 6, the health department of the Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) claimed it had made special arrangements for intensifying the campaign against the traders indulging in adulteration during the holy month. Squads would be put on duty to raid places where large-scale adulteration was being carried out. Meanwhile, according to figures gathered by the corporation, 33 food inspectors of the KMC had collected about 3,000 food samples during the first nine months of the ongoing year as part of the above-mentioned drive.

Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2020