Gift to nation: Rolls Royce, Mercedes, in use of dignitaries put on display

Cars carried King Faisal, Yasir Arfat, Qaddafi, Princess Diana, besides ZA Bhutto and Benazir

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister Justice (retd) Nasirul Mulk on Monday inaugurated the display of two vintage cars at the Pakistan Monument, which have remained under use of the country's heads of State and government and also the visiting dignitaries from time to time.

The 1976 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow and the 1970 Mercedes Pullman S600 is a gift from the Prime Minister's Office to the Pakistan Monument Museum, which have been put on display for the people.

The interim prime minister had taken the decision to restore and preserve the vintage cars and ordered their placement at the museum, instead of an earlier proposal of their auction. During his visit to the museum, he expressed hope that display of cars would help the young and coming generations learn about Pakistan's history and also the tradition of hospitality rendered to the visiting international guests.

He took round of the Museum and evinced keen interest in the vintage cars which he termed as "witness to an important part of national history.”

Later, Lok Virsa Executive Director Shahera Shahid said that Hakkas (Pvt) Limited had volunteered to restore the glorious cars complimentarily in the spirit of preserving the valued national heritage.

She expressed confidence that the vintage cars would attract more visitors at the unique museum which offers glimpses of history through three-dimensional dioramas.

The and luxurious Mercedes Pullman S600, built in 1970, was imported by the government of Pakistan the same year and remained in use of President General Yahya Khan and Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

The visiting dignitaries who used the car included Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat, Egypt's President Anwar Saddat, Libya's Col Moammar Gaddafi, Saudi Arabia's King Faisal bin Abdul Aziz and several other prominent world leaders. The Rolls Royce Silver Shadow, built in 1976, was gifted by King Khalid Bin Abdul Aziz to the then Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

It remained under the use of prime minister Benazir Bhutto, Prince Karim Aga Khan, Saudi Arabia's King Khalid bin Abdul Aziz, UAE's Sheikh Sultan Bin Al Nahyan, Princess Lady Diana, Boxer Muhammad Ali and the leaders of China, Japan, Thailand, Bangladesh and Nepal.

Earlier, the Prime Minister's Office was set to auction off the car on June 22 but when the matter was brought to the attention of the caretaker prime minister, he ordered for the cancellation of the auction and directed that the historical cars be placed in a museum. Three car enthusiasts - Haris Aziz, Karim Yusuf and Moin Abbasi- played a major role in highlighting the issue and also wrote to the secretary Cabinet Division on June 19 for the cancellation of the auction.  

Published in The Express Tribune, July 24^th, 2018.