SOME global events have a limited geographical effect. But some of them shake the whole world. On March 25, 1975 something extremely tragic happened in the Middle East. King Faisal of Saudi Arabia was assassinated in Riyadh. It deeply saddened the international community, especially the Pakistani nation. He was a prominent Muslim leader. On March 26 and 27, citizens of Karachi visited the Saudi Arabian consulate in the city in a big number and scores of condolence meetings were held to mourn the death of King Faisal. Quran khwani and fateha were arranged while many organisations held the ghaibana namaz-i-janaza (funeral prayers) for the departed monarch. The ghaibana namaz-i-janaza at New Town mosque was led by the Saudi Consul-General in Karachi, Saleh Fattani. Earlier, Quran khwani and fateha were attended by diplomats, political leaders, students, workers and ulema. On March 26, the acting Governor of Sindh, Justice Abdul Kadir Shaikh, was among the first to visit the Saudi consulate to sign the condolence book. The Chief Minister of Sindh, Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi, also visited the consulate and expressed his heartfelt condolences to the consul-general. Jam Sadiq Ali, the Provincial Minister for Housing, accompanied the chief minister. The Chief Minister of Balochistan, Jam Ghulam Qadir Khan, who had arrived in Karachi from Quetta, too, was a visitor to the consulate.

On March 28, special prayers were offered for the late King Faisal at various mosques of the city after the Friday prayers. At Jacob Lines mosque, Quran khwani was followed by the namaz-i-juma. Saudi Consul-General Saleh Fattani was among a large group of people present on the occasion. Pir Ilahi Bux, a former chief minister of Sindh, giving his views on the death of King Faisal described it as the ‘greatest loss to the Muslim world’ and expressed confidence that King Khalid bin Abdulaziz would continue the policies of his predecessor for the solidarity of Muslim nations and liberation Arab territories.

Another foreign leader made the headlines that week in the city when on March 25 the Cambodian Foreign Minister, Sarin Chhak, thanked the people and the government of Pakistan for their continued support in “our struggle for national liberation”. He was talking to newsmen on his arrival in Karachi from Islamabad on the last leg of his week-long visit to the country. Referring to his meeting with Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in Rawalpindi, the foreign minister said he had spoken with the premier about the struggle and victory of the Cambodian people in their just cause.

Staying on the subject of freedom and liberation, on March 29, a prominent Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader, N D Khan, spoke at a symposium on ‘Martyrs of 1947 and Pakistan’ organised under the auspices of the Pakistan National Centre. He assured the guests that a grand memorial to commemorate the sacrifices of the martyrs of 1947 would be built, for which, he said, he had taken the matter with the chief minister of Sindh. He urged everyone to come forward to root out all forces working against the existence of Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2025