KARACHI: Some years back, in 2016 perhaps, the boundary wall of the Karachi Press Club (KPC) where its main gate is installed was beautifully painted with large images of a few distinguished women. It served two very important purposes: first, it paid tribute to the women who have made an enormous contribution to the social well-being of our society; two, the murals face the road that leads to the club which meant that whoever came to the building, to enter it or to register a protest outside it (the KPC has assumed a Hyde Park-like status in recent times) would be able to look at the blown-up images of the great women.

Sadly, on two occasions the murals have been defaced by certain elements. However, and thankfully, they have been not only restored but more images have been added to them.

So who are those women? The answer: initially, there were portraits of social worker Perween Rahman, architect Yasmin Lari, journalist Zubeida Mustafa and socio-cultural figure Sabeen Mahmud. And now, the current body that runs the club has added four more pictures to the wall. They are: journalist Razia Bhatti, writer Fatima Surayya Bajia, journalist Nargis Khanum and Dr Ruth Pfau who dedicated her life to those who were battling leprosy. It happened on March 8, International Women’s Day.

None of the added figures are alive. Out of them, Nargis Khanum was a regular visitor to the KPC. She passed away in December 2017. So, in a way, it’s thoughtful of the club’s decision-makers that they have chosen her image as the first to be looked at, beginning from the far left corner of the pre-independence structure. Although its visibility is somewhat compromised by it being in the corner, overall, it’s a nice gesture. Khanum in her sunset days used to visit the venue at least twice a week primarily for two reasons — to have lunch and to play chess.

Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2021