Erasing history: Larkana landmark under threat of demolition

Activists lament historic buildings are being demolished to appease ‘contractor mafia’

LARKANA/ KARACHI: The historic building of the District Council Larkana is under threat of being demolished in the name of renovation, The Express Tribune has learnt.

The building, which was constructed under the supervision of Sir Shahnawaz Bhutto, the father of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1927, has been a victim of neglect and official apathy of all previous governments, including the PPP’s, which claims to own the city.

“As president of District Council Board Larkana, Sir Shahnawaz Bhutto chaired many sessions in the building,” recalled Zulfiqar Rajpar, a local journalist and civil activist. “Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and leaders of the Pakistan movement used to conduct meetings in a hall of this building. Besides, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto would also hold open katcheries [meetings] to hear people’s problems. Now, the newly elected members of the district council, with the help of the party’s local leadership are going to demolish it,” he added. Rajpar has approached Sindh High Court against the proposed demolition.



The notice board on a wall inside the district council offices features several prominent personalities — Sir Shahnawaz Bhutto, Fazullulah Kazi, KB Ali Hassan Hakro, Nabi Bux Bhutto, Qurban Ali Khuhawar, Faqir Mohammad Unar, Ali Gohar S Khuhro, Ghulam Mustafa M Kazi and H Shah Mohammad A Shaikh, among others. Each served as chairperson or president of the council between the 1920s and 1960s.

The building, which was constructed in two phases between 1927 and 1929, comprises a big hall, offices, a dozen quarters and three beautiful bungalows. With the exception of the hall and offices, the property has been illegally occupied by officials of other departments. Such is the apathy of the local government and its officials that there are now several cattle farms operating within its premises.

“The building’s structure it still strong and there is a dire need to rehabilitate it to its original condition,” said Rajpar. “Unfortunately, these greedy people have awarded a tender to local contractors to demolish it and build new one,” he added.

Proud heritage

The building, which is located in Rahmatpur area of Larkana, still stands proud - its façade and masonry revealing its heritage. Unfortunately, no one has bothered to induct it to the heritage list.

Qasim Ali Qasim, an archeological and heritage expert, who has previously served as archeology director in the Sindh government referred to two laws and criteria under which buildings are declared heritage sites.

“The Antiquities Act 1975 states that any building that is 75 years old can be declared a heritage site. But after the 18th Amendment, this law has been repealed and replaced with Sindh Heritage [Preservation] Act 1994,” he said, adding that there is no proper time frame for a building to be declared protected as part of heritage. However, there are other criteria. “Any building where important events had taken place in the past or it has archeological value and historical importance can be declared a heritage site,” he said.



Demand for protected status

On Tuesday, a group of social activists protested in front of the district council building against its demolition and demanded the provincial government to preserve the historic landmarks of Larkana by restoring them to their original condition.

“A contractor mafia is active in the city and they have demolished several historical buildings, replacing them with new ones,” said Ahmed Ali Soomro, one of the protesters. “There was the irrigation bungalow built in 1910 in front of the circuit branch of SHC Larkana. They have demolished it and built government quarters,” he said.

Denials

The district council building is located near the house of PPP’s Sindh Chapter President Nisar Ahmed Khuhro. Despite repeated attempts, he did not answer his phone to explain his party’s stance on the issue.

However, District Council Chairman Mohammad Sangro denied to The Express Tribune that they were planning to demolish the building. “We have allocated Rs3.5 million and are demolishing the roof of the hall only because of its unnecessary height,” he said. “The roof is so high that we can’t feel the cooling of the air conditioner,” he added.

When asked about the restoration of the building to its original condition and the removal of encroachments inside it, he said, “We have been in this place since 2016 and these people, including some employees of the district council are settled in these premises for years. It’s the district administration’s job to evacuate the irrelevant people,” he remarked.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2018.