Unlike the people of Lahore, the citizens of Karachi seem to have little interest in their heritage buildings. This is amply demonstrated by the callous attitude of the City District Government Karachi (CDGK), as they are not ready to give any grant to the Khalikdina Hall situated on M.A. Jinnah Road, even though the building is a monument of immense historical value and is a heritage site.
“Built in 1906 at a cost of Rs18,000, Khalikdina Hall can be described as the first major building developed by Muslim philanthropist Ghulam Hossain Khalikdina in Karachi,” Dr Noman Ahmed, professor and chairman of the Department of Architecture and Planning, NED University of Engineering and Technology told The News.
“Its architectural style was very much inspired by local British colonial features, which were in contrast with the existing traditional elements of architecture in this region,” he said.
The front entrance of the Hall is very grand and inviting, and was designed to attract people from various kinds of public meetings. A very intrinsically developed pitched roof, made up of very fine teak wood, was the hallmark of this building. Unfortunately, this roof was in a dilapidated condition during the 1980s and 1990s and collapsed during heavy rains. The erstwhile Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) under the leadership of the then administrator Fahimuzzaman Khan undertook the restoration of the roof which was designed and supervised by eminent architect Yawar Jilani, against a symbolic fee of one rupee.
Khalikdina Hall has accommodated many historical events. They include the trial of freedom fighters Maulana Mohammad Ali Johar and Maulana Shaukat Ali on charges of sedition for their participation in the Khilafat Movement. Yet another significance of the historic building is that Quaid-e-Azam, Mohammad Ali Jinnah presided over the session of Muslim League in this Hall after Pakistan came into being in 1947.
“It is reported that the historical stage of wood which was used in these two events have gone missing from the premises of Khalikdina Hall. The matter was reported to the police but not much headway has been made so far,” Prof. Ahmed said.
However, Mohammad Zubair, an elderly man who has been living in a quarter in Khaliqdina Hall’s compound since 1948, rejected the report. “The roof collapsed after heavy rains and the wooden stages, four in number, were totally destroyed. The debris was then thrown away by the KMC staff,” he recalled. “No FIR was ever registered about the wooden stages,” he added.
Fahimuzzaman Khan, ex-administrator Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) concurred. He told The News that in June and July of 1994, Karachi witnessed more than 17 inches of downpour as compared to the 4-5 inches rain in normal years. As a result the roof of Khalikdina Hall collapsed.
“Yawar Jilani, an eminent architect along with his partner Mrs Mahboob Khan did complete rehabilitation of the roof,” Khan recalled. “The Hall was already threatened by sub-soil water, absence of regular maintenance and de-watering,” he said.
Architect Yawar Jilani revealed that the roof had already deteriorated due to negligence for 50 long years, and the walls of the Hall had been unwittingly plastered up to two to three inches by rice husk. “The roof was infected with termites,” he said. He said that his was the first major effort in the financial hub of Pakistan to restore a heritage building, but sadly enough, citizens were totally indifferent and there was no opening ceremony of the restored heritage building.
According to Jilani, the building also has significant cultural value because public meetings were held here. In 1970, eminent revolutionary leader Dada Amir Haider, who had the distinction of representing the Communist Party of India at Communist International, presided over a public meeting at Khalikdina Hall. Similarly, activists of left-wing National Students Federation (NSF) recall with nostalgia that their meetings were held at the Hall.
“I have the honour of shaking hands with Prime Minister Khawaja Nazimuddin, Sardar Abdul Rab Nishtar and Maulvi Tamizuddin on the stairs of this building,” said Zubair.
Muhammad Anwer Shaikh, General Secretary of the Khalikdina Hall Library, told The News that the roof of the main hall collapsed in 1993 and it was the then administrator Fahimuzzaman Khan who ordered its restoration. The restoration work started in 1996 and was completed in 1996. He lamented that the gallery of Khalikdina Hall also collapsed last year after rains.
“The CDGK has stopped giving us grant since 1998. Previously when Dr Farooq Sattar was the mayor, they gave us a grant of Rs50,000,” he said.
