Pakistan chowk: Vandals deface plaques honouring city heroes

KARACHI: The recently rehabilitated Pakistan Chowk became the target of miscreants who defaced the plaques on benches meant to honour different people of the city.

The public space, which was opened last month after six-month long renovation project, had installed benches which had been named after some of the country's heroes, such as Sabeen Mahmud, Perween Rahman, Ardeshir Cowasjee and Bilquis Edhi.

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Ali Reza, an architect who is working with Marvi Mazhar (who was responsible for conceptual planning and social design of the space), spoke to The Express Tribune about the vandalism. "The plaques which were defaced belonged to Ghulam Murtaza Saiyid and Cowasjee. They [vandals] also tried scratching the surface of the plaque named after philanthropist Diwan Dayram Jethmal," he detailed.

However, Reza seemed unaware regarding who could have orchestrated this but suggested that it could be the work of drug peddlers in the area.



"Yes, they [vandals] came to remove the names and it is sad that they did this," remarked Mazhar, who is currently in the process of getting plaques pasted once again on the benches.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 18^th, 2017.