A FEW days ago, I happened to be in the old city area in Karachi and decided to roam around the vicinity that has remark-

able buildings around Aram Bagh, which, by the way, was called Ram Bagh before independence. The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) building is the main landmark here, but anyone visiting the narrow streets around the Civil Hospital will find countless abandoned buildings dating back to a glorious past.

Later, I visited the office of the local deputy commissioner to seek some more information. I was told that some of the buildings are protected under the Heritage List maintained by the Sindh Antiquities Department, which excluded private houses. I also saw some old maps on which all houses were numbered with the prefix RB, referring to Ram Bagh Quarters.

Prior to Partition, the area was a hub of temples as, according to Hindu mythology, Ram and Sita spent a night here on their way to Hinglaj in Balochistan. Many Hindu families still reside in the area.

There is a dire need to protect these old buildings because some of them are unclaimed, and no one looks after such properties. The builder mafia is the biggest threat to the area and, indeed, to the task of preserving the history of Karachi.

It purchases old houses, or uses forged documents to have the ownership trans-

ferred. What follows is often a multi-storey plaza. The relevant authorities should update and notify the Heritage List to protect the heritage of the past.

Imtiaz Mangi
Karachi

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2026