IN the fourth week of February in 1974, Pakistan hosted a successful and historic Islamic Summit in Lahore, the capital of Punjab. It was participated by a big number of leaders representing the Muslim world. After the event, some of them went back to their countries via Karachi. On Feb 26, 1974, it was reported that, the day before, President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahayan expressed happiness at the outcome of the Islamic Summit Conference. Talking to newsmen after landing at Karachi airport from Lahore, the president, who’s also the ruler of Abu Dhabi, said the coming together of 40 monarchs, heads of state and prime ministers would lead to Muslim unity. He expressed his gratitude to the people and the government of Pakistan for organising the conference. Shaikh Zayed was received at the airport by Sindh Chief Minister Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi and high-ranking civil and military officials. He was to spend two days in Karachi before leaving for the United Arab Emirates.

On Feb 28, another prominent leader President Moammer Gaddafi of Libya during his visit to KANUPP assured the people of Pakistan of his country’s all-out support in all circumstances. He said he had declared in Lahore and would re-emphasise in Karachi the following, “Our enemies are one, our dignity is one, our prestige is one, and we must pool our resources together to strongly face the common enemy.” Prime Minister of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and the PAF Chief of Staff Air Marshal Zafar Chowdhury accompanied the Libyan leader during his 20-minute presence at KANUPP.

On the cultural front, too, artists from abroad added vibrancy to the colourful life of the city by the sea. On March 1, the Mehtar Janisary Band from Turkey gave an exhilarating performance at the Hockey Stadium. They played delightful music from their varied repertoire.

Speaking of foreigners, on Feb 27 it was learnt that encouraging response had been received from foreign multilateral and bilateral agencies to assist the government to meet Karachi’s needs in implementing the Master Plan for it. At a meeting of the National Policy Adviser and Steering Committee on the draft of the plan presided over by Sindh Chief Minister some recommendations made by an international panel of experts were put forward. The final version of the report was to be sent for consideration to the provincial cabinet and later to a high-powered national committee.

Another group of experts, comprising 12 members to be precise, was in the news at the time. On March 1, it came to light that a panel would select one of the designs prepared by local architects for the proposed new zoo to be developed in Gulshan-i-Iqbal off University Road. The scheme was prepared by the Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) five years back but it could not be executed because none of the 20 designs submitted by the architects were found up to the mark. The KMC had again invited designs after providing guidelines and desired specifications to the architects. This time around, only four of them came up with comprehensive project reports with emphasis on amusement and education.

Published in Dawn, February 26th, 2024