KARACHI: While praising a project for the elderly, eminent writer Anwar Maqsood has said an old-age home, ‘Safaid Posh Ghar’ will soon be opened in the North Karachi area.

Located near Nagan Chowrangi, Safaid Posh Ghar is an eight-storey building and it will house more than 200 people. There are separate floors and rooms for single women, single men and married couples.

Speaking at a press conference, Mr Maqsood, said he’s known Iqbal Shah, the man behind the project, for decades. “In 2015, I went to meet him in his office (car showroom) and saw that there was a cabin on which Safaid Posh was written. I asked him about it. He replied that in his office, 400 people have food on a daily basis, out of which 100 stay the night over. So in 2015, he started feeding the underprivileged from a cabin. During that period, he met with (old) people who were faced with a variety of problems. It was then that he decided to get a piece of land to build an old home on by the name of Safaid Posh. Soon he found that land. You’ll be surprised to know that in three years the building was constructed.”

He said Iqbal sahib once asked him to make a video about the project, which he did. “You won’t believe that after that people from all over the world got in touch with him to lend a helping hand. The expenditure here will be on the higher side, after all, more than 200 people will live here who will have all kinds of facilities (meals, a room for exercise, doctors etc).”

Mr Maqsood said the facility is completely functional and will be launched in a month’s time.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Shah said he could say with conviction that there is no old home in the world like Safaid Posh.

He said a lot of cruelty was being meted out to old people in the country. “Our first target are those individuals who are more than 65 years of age, are penury-stricken and healthy. We need more funding now.”

Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2025