Uncovering historical significance of city’s remarkable roads

In his latest book ‘Yeh Sharea-e-Aam Nahin: Karachi Ki Yadgar Sardkain’, author Shah Waliullah Junaidi attempts to uncover the historical significance of Karachi’s remarkable roads, which, according him, are not ordinary thoroughfares, for they have a nearly 200-year-old history of incredible tales that up until now had remained buried in the dust of time.

The author criticises the act of renaming roads after politicians, players, singers and public figures “who would hardly know the names of those who built these roads and took part in the development of Karachi”.

In the book, Junaidi, who is also a working journalist, discloses secrets behind the names of some of the roads and how they were later renamed after prominent personalities. He discusses historical incidents that occurred in Karachi’s streets and subways in the past 70 years. The author also identifies the actual beginning points and dead-ends of several routes, intersections and famous roadsteads.

The book is of immense importance for architects, historians and writers, and also those who are interested in knowing about heritage sites and historical buildings. Also, it provides insights to Karachiites who have no idea about the relevance of the name of the roads in their city. Readers can easily find the reasons why Karachi’s remarkable roads have been renamed.

“Renaming a certain road, street or neighbourhood doesn’t serve the purpose of lauding someone’s services for society, because the memories of those who had struggled to build and develop the city would be erased from history and the following generations would have no knowledge about the real road makers and town planners,” Junaidi told The News. He said we cannot change what has already happened in the city, but we have to accept the things according to reality and with their original identities.

Younghusband Road

This road is situated next to the Godil Companies’ office opposite Ghulam Ali Allana Road in the old city area. The road was named after the Younghusband family’s legacy. Perhaps the thoroughfare was dedicated to Arthur Delaval Younghusband who was a commissioner in Sindh from 1905 to 1912. He was the son of Lieutenant-General Robert Romer Younghusband who served as adjutant-general in Sindh and Balochistan in the 18th century.

Among the first cousins of Delaval Younghusband — sons of his father’s younger brother Major-General John William Younghusband — were brothers Major-General George Younghusband and Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Francis Edward Younghusband. Their uncle was Lieutenant-General Charles Younghusband, an army officer and meteorologist.

George Younghusband served in several conflicts, including the second Anglo-Afghan War, the Mahdist War, the Third Burma War, the Second Boer War and finally in the First World War, while Francis Younghusband was a British commissioner to Tibet who led a military campaign to settle the Sikkim-Tibet border disputes. He was also a great writer and explorer.

In 2011, however, a local English newspaper had published an article ‘Younghusband, old road’ claiming that Younghusband Road was named after Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Francis Edward Younghusband, born in 1863 at Murree, British India (now Pakistan).

Preedy Street

In the 1840s Captain HW Preedy, who was collector and magistrate of Karachi, had set up his office in a street on Club Road where the city commissioner still operates. Preedy had kept his residence at the present State Guest House. During the British Raj, the street that connects MA Jinnah Road with the Saddar Regal Chowk these days was named after HW Preedy.

Choudhry Rahmat Ali, who is credited with creating Pakistan’s name, had visited the country twice after Partition. He stayed for three days at a building named Hormuz House which was situated on Preedy Street. Later, one of Ali’s friends took him to his home and helped him in going back to Cambridge. Since then Ali never returned to Pakistan.

Near the intersection of Preedy Street, the magnificent building of the Eduljee Dinshaw Charitable Dispensary, established in 1882, is also located next to the Khyber Hotel on Preedy Street.

Shahrah-e-Liaquat

It begins from Regal Chowk, heading towards the Sindh Muslim Government Science College. Before Partition this road was named after Sir Henry Bartle Edwards Frere, commonly called Sir Bartle Frere. He served as chief commissioner of Sindh from 1850 to 1859. Frere was the first person to ban Persian as an official language and replaced it with Sindhi.

On this road Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi had inaugurated the Indian Merchants Building in 1934. Today the office of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry operates in the same building.

Sharea Faisal

This boulevard was known as Thatta Road during the Talpur rulers’ era before the British invasion of Sindh. It was renamed as Colonel Drigh Road where Drigh Colony is situated, as well as a railway junction that still exists. In 1974 the road was named after Saudi Arabia’s slain King Faisal, who had also financed the reconstruction of the road that is still one the most important thoroughfares of Karachi.

During the World War I and World War II, military barracks were built along both sides of Drigh Road, while the first flight in the history of Indian aviation lifted off from Karachi’s Drigh Road Aerodrome, now the Pakistan Air Force Base Faisal.

The author has quoted many incidents that took place on Karachi’s Sharea Faisal. In 1970, during a welcome ceremony, an anti-communist Pakistan International Airlines truck driver Muhammad Feroze Abdullah hit a Polish delegation at the Jinnah International Airport located on Sharea Faisal. In the incident, deputy foreign minister Zygfryd Wolniak was killed along with three other official photographers. Later, Abdullah was sentenced to death by a military court.

Club Road

This road is located in Karachi’s red zone. It is one of the historical roads that came into being with the construction of the Karachi Gymkhana in 1886. Before Partition, this road was known as Scandal Point Road. In 1951 this road was named after Muhammad Ayub Khuhro who became the first chief minister of Sindh after Partition. American journalist Daniel Pearl was kidnapped from near the Metropole Hotel situated on Club Road.

Measham Lea Road

Measham Lea, the then chief engineer of the Karachi Municipality in 1908, supervised the construction work on the foundations of the present Lea Market. In 1930 the Karachi Municipality had not only named the market after Measham Lea, which is commonly known as Lea Market, but the adjacent road was also renamed as Measham Lea Road, which begins from the Jubilee Market, heading towards the Ramaswamy area.

“In 1917 he and his associates drew plans for the development of Clifton, envisaging the extreme north-west of the high hill at Clifton being converted into a promenade and terraces along with an overhead covering to let people have a good view of the harbour and Manora,” said the author.

Harchandrai Road

Seth Harchandrai Vishandas was the person who had introduced asphalt roads along with footpaths in Karachi. As elected mayor, Vishandas had also approved the present Karachi Municipal Corporation’s building design. Before Partition a road connecting Napier Road with Lyari was named after Seth Harchandrai Vishandas. But after Partition this road was renamed as Siddiq Wahab Road. Google Maps, however, show half of the road named after Vishandas as Hari Chand Rai Road.

According to the author, in 1886 thousands of Karachiites died owing to the bubonic plague outbreak in the city. At that time Vishandas, who was a councillor of the Karachi Municipality, had built a separate hospital to quarantine the infected patients.

Eduljee Dinshaw Road

A prominent philanthropist, Eduljee Dinshaw was born in Poona (now Pune) back in 1842. Later, he moved to Karachi. After serving in the British Army, he started his business and took an active part in the development of the city. He established many libraries, schools and dispensaries.

In 1894 Dinshaw donated Rs50,000 for the construction of the Lady Dufferin Hospital, which still provides health care services. In 1914 he went to Europe by ship. In 1924 the Prince of Wales Engineering College was renamed after Nadirshaw Eduljee Dinshaw (NED), the eldest son of Eduljee Dinshaw, who made donations to the college in remembrance of his father.

During the British Raj, in recognition of Dinshaw’s philanthropic services, his sculpture was fixed on the intersection of Victoria Road (now Abdullah Haroon Road) and Strachan Road (now Maulana Deen Muhammad Wafai Road). The thoroughfare passes along the Customs House and the Qamar House, in which the Eastern Federal Union Insurance Company is located and which was also named after Eduljee Dinshaw.

Napier Road

This thoroughfare has been named after the first governor of Sindh and British General Sir Charles James Napier. In 1970 the southern side of the road from Denso Hall to New Chali was named after Altaf Hussain, former Dawn editor.

Marston Road

This is the road behind the famous shopping mall Gul Plaza that was named after Lieutenant Edward Marston, who was the head of the Karachi police. In 1980 this road was named after renowned Pakistani film actor Waheed Murad, also known as Chocolate Hero.

The book

Junaidi’s book comprising 240 pages covers around 120 thoroughfares of Karachi. Readers won’t be disappointed with this trip down memory lane. However, the topics covering Younghusband Road, Harchandrai Road and Drigh Road lack references and historical evidence. The book lacks a complete bibliography.

The book can also prove helpful to the authorities. Last year Karachi Commissioner Iftikhar Shallwani, who is also one of the custodians of the city’s archives, had initiated a campaign to fix signboards on various roads. This drive was criticised because of the choice of words for the signboards, such as Downtown, Uptown and Oldtown. It would be more interesting to mention historical facts and other relevant information about the thoroughfares on those boards, for which this book can undoubtedly be a great help.