KARACHI, Feb 7: In respect of the news item “Bishu & Bara imambargahs city’s oldest” published on Feb 6, the Bara Imambargah Trust has sent the following clarification:

“We are shocked to note that a leading, reputable newspaper of your calibre has published information about our Imambargah without first ascertaining the historical facts from our office.

“To set the historical record straight, our Imambargah was founded in the year 1878 and not 1868. It was built by our great grandfather Seth Haji Thawer Tharia and his sons and not by the Khoja Asna-i-Ashari (Pirhai) group, as stated in the report.

“A ground plus first floor were initially constructed and later in the year 1962/63, a second floor was added. The first and second floors are exclusively reserved for ladies attending majalis and other religious functions.”