‘Frere Hall won’t survive another bomb’

The first bomb blast behind Frere Hall occurred in May 2002.

KARACHI: Dr Kareemullah Lashari has been a very busy man. He has been working on Frere Hall for decades and finally seems to be making progress. It is important to listen to him because where Frere Hall is concerned - the man knows what he is talking about.

He has extensively documented and investigated the problems faced by the building and grounds of Frere Hall. From the dripping ceilings and termite-infested structure to the missing fountain donated by Sir Edulji Dinshaw, Lashari wants to conserve, restore, install and set up a museum on the premises.

He, however, believes this won’t be able to happen if there is another bomb blast around the site. Since the first bomb blast behind Frere Hall in May 2002, followed by another in June of the same year to other attacks in 2004, 2006 and 2010, the structure has taken a hit.

“The building will not be able to survive another blast,” he said. “When I went to the government for help, they said ‘no, the building is sound, go away’. We really need to do something about it.” He added that the dormers of the building have been removed and the only proper renovation it had was in the 1950s.

While talking about damage to the building, Lashari said the Sadequain mural inside was damaged and falling apart, conical turrets were missing and the roof was damaged during the monsoon. “The situation is grim,” he said. “I told the DCO that it does not make a difference if the building is owned by the government or privately, we just need to conserve it, turn it into a museum and leave it for the people to enjoy.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 13^th, 2014.