ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on National Heritage and Culture on Monday showed serious concern over poor upkeep, maintenance of, and security issues at the mausoleum of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah in Karachi and directed the relevant officials to involve the inspector general of police to ensure law and order at the premises.

The issue was raised in a meeting of the standing committee held in the Parliament House. Senator Hidayatullah Khan chaired the meeting.

The committee was informed about various challenges faced at the mausoleum’s premises, including incidents of drug sellers entering the area, theft of fencing, and encroachments in the form of illegal shops, which had recently been removed.

Recommends all four provinces should contribute Rs50m each for maintenance and facilitation of public visiting the mazar

Senator Syed Waqar Mehdi expressed concern over the presence of garbage within the mausoleum premises and directed the coordination of a meeting with Karachi’s waste management authorities to improve cleanliness arrangements. It also directed that the provincial police be involved to ensure proper law and order arrangements and security at the mausoleum premises.

The committee further recommended that representatives from Karachi should also be included in the board overseeing the mausoleum’s affairs.

The parliamentarians also decided to constitute a Sub-Committee on National Heritage and Culture Division to oversee the ongoing work and affairs related to the Quaid’s mazar.

The committee was informed that at the Quaid-i-Azam Mazar Management Board (QMMB), the total number of officers in BS-17 and above was five, while officials from BS-01 to BS-16 numbered 107. It was further informed that the total budget estimate for the QMMB for the financial year 2025-26 stood at Rs353.921 million.

The committee recommended that all four provinces should contribute Rs50 million each towards the maintenance and facilitation of the general public visiting the mausoleum, while Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan should also contribute according to their capacity.

It was further informed that the renovation and revamping of Awan-i-Nawadarat, a museum located within the Quaid’s mazar, was currently underway and that additional grant allocation would be sought under the PSDP for the financial year 2026-27.

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2026