THE University of Karachi (KU) is one of the finest educational institutions of the country. Fifty years back, things looked a little gloomy for it in terms of its financial management. On Feb 16, 1976 it was learnt that the day before the President of the Karachi University Students Union, Abdul Rahim, had appealed to the Sindh government to help wipe off the institution’s budget deficit accumulated to more than Rs15 million over the years. He also urged for an increase in the annual grants corresponding to the needs of the university. He argued that the financial difficulties arose because of the high number of students, the rising prices of books, equipment and raw material, and the increase in the staff’s salaries. Mr Rahim regretted that the government had not responded to the repeated requests every year for upping the grants. As a result, the university was left with no choice but to face deficit.

Finances were also talked about on Feb 20, when Prince Karim Aga Khan and Begum Salimah spent a day in the city. [They were on a visit to Pakistan.] Accompanied by Ramzan Merchant, the President of the Ismailia Federal Council for Pakistan and the Provincial Education Minister, Pyarali Allana, they went to Kharadar, Garden and Karimabad Ismaili centres to meet members of the Ismaili community. In his firman to the Jamaat, the Aga Khan emphasised “not to squander money unwisely, to live cautiously and, where necessary, to lower one’s standard of living in order to be able to look to the future with some courage, some strength and some hope”. He said in recent years, the world economy had gone through a major crisis and there had been varying interpretations of its causes. He pointed out, at times of crises, the fundamental source of improvement was education. “Those who have benefitted most from their education are those who are best qualified and have the best chances of being able to continue to make progress,” he said.

Although the spring season was a bit ahead, colourful flowers had already begun to bloom in the city. On Feb 19, a large variety of flowers arranged in attractive patterns highlighted the 25th Pakistan Flower, Fruit and Vegetable Show inaugurated at Zoological Gardens by Justice Abdul Kadir Shaikh, the Chief Justice of the Sindh and Balochistan High Court. A reviewer opined that the western style flower arranged vied with the Japanese — ‘the former appealing for their exuberance and variety, and the latter for their symbolic artistic beauty’. In the fruits and vegetables category, both seasonal and non-seasonal varieties were exhibited.

Speaking of colours, on Feb 17, an exhibition of paintings by distinguished artist Ahmed Parvez opened at the Indus Gallery. The show was believed to be an extension of his work which he put on display the previous year at the Pak-American Cultural Centre (PACC). There were 35 artworks on view. Mr Parvez had drawn bold, thin and broad lines, intricately turning them into abstract thoughts. According to a report published in this newspaper, the influence of Sindhi and Mughal traditions were also quite distinct in his paintings.

Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2026