KARACHI’S zoo has garnered attention from the time it was first set up (before independence) in the Garden area for the large variety of animals it kept to entertain and educate those who are interested in wildlife. But it has also had its share of negative publicity. On Oct 6, 1975, for example, it was reported that half a dozen spotted deer had been lost to the zoo in the last six months following attempts by untrained personnel to catch themin the crudest possible way. The last casualty had occurred a few days back when a bunch of unskilled men chased a herd of 40 deer in a frenzy without using nets or tranquiliser shots. As the herd ran in panic, two of them crashed against a metallic fence. One collapsed on the spot with a broken neck followed by heart failure, and the other sustained facial injuries. The men could not trap a single deer. The zoo staff removed the dead to the mortuary as the scared animals assembled all at one place under a tree at the far end of their enclosure in fear. For the rest of the day, they refused to eat or drink. In those days, the number of spotted deer at Karachi zoo was believed to be the biggest in the country.

Another piece of not-so-good information was released by the media on Oct 11, according to which, the day before, girl students of the Government Secondary School Liaquatabad demonstrated in front of their institution against the conversion of the second storey of the school building into residential flats. Before the nationalisation process took place, the school was being run privately.

It was also a week of paying homage to a couple of exceptional individuals. On Oct 9, the Sindh and Balochistan High Court suspended business and held a full court reference to pay tribute to Pir Ilahi Bux, a former chief minister of Sindh, who had passed away on Oct 8. Addressing the reference, Chief Justice Abdul Kadir Shaikh said the demise of Pir Ilahi Bux was a national loss. “He was a great patriot.” Nasim A Faruqi, President of the Karachi High Court Bar Association, said Pir sahib was a great son of Pakistan, an intense patriot, a superb humanist, an ideal educationist and an honest lawyer. He added that the late Pir sahib throughout his political career had remained steadfast to the cause of ideal of Pakistan, regardless of his party affiliation.

The next day, Oct 11, tributes were paid at a meeting to the late Nurul Amin for his role in the creation of Pakistan and for the sacrifices he made for keeping the country united. The meeting was held to commemorate his first death anniversary. Mahmud Ali, Chairman of the National Council of Social Welfare, Government of Pakistan, was the chief guest on the occasion. Hatim A Alvi presided. President of Pakistan Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry, too, in a separate message, praised Mr Amin for playing a leading part in awakening the Muslims of the subcontinent and organising them into a strong, unified force during the freedom struggle.

Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2025