QUESTION: When was the decision to change the name of Victoria Road to Abdullah Haroon Road taken? Answer: Oct 30, 1969.

Yes, on Oct 31, 1969 it was announced that Victoria Road would get a new name, officially, on Nov 1. That wasn’t it. A few other roads that were likely to be renamed were Empress Road, Havelock Road and McLeod Road. Also, some of the side-lanes which bore such names as Giddu Mall Road, Asanmal Ojah Road and Pardhan Road were to get new names by the Karachi administration. The Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) early in the year had marked seven roads and streets for the local authorities for renaming. Abdullah Haroon Road was one of them.

Of course, these were thoroughfares that had existed before independence. Karachi was expanding fast after partition and new neighbourhoods, such as Liaquatabad, with new lanes and by-lanes were emerging. But they hadn’t fully developed. Some of them didn’t have the kind of amenities that were required to make a locality survive. On Oct 30, the KMC decided to provide water tap connections in every house in blocks 8, 9 and 10 of Liaquatabad. The public works subcommittee had recommended the project to the KMC council which was to approve the scheme in its next general meeting.

Liaquatabad was a neighbourhood that was mainly populated with the immigrant community. Speaking of which, and some of us might not know it, back then there was an All Pakistan Mohajir Board led by noted businessman Ahmed Jaffer. On Oct 29, a deputation of the Mohajir board called upon the Chief Election Commissioner, Justice Abdul Sattar, in Karachi and placed before him proposals for the correct enumeration of voters, printing of electoral rolls in Urdu in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), eligibility of refugees for enrolment as voters in East Pakistan, issuance of identity cards to voters to prevent bogus voting and setting up of urban and rural constituencies separately for the coming elections of provincial and centre legislatures. According to a press release, the chief election commissioner told the deputation that orders were being issued to the East Pakistan provincial election authorities to enroll all displaced persons as voters who had arrived in Pakistan before Oct 1, 1969. A couple of days earlier, the members of the board had also had an exchange of ideas in the city with the President of Pakistan, Gen A. M. Yahya.

Of course, the authorities concerned were focused on resolution of all issues, such as inflation, that affected the lives of all communities. On Nov 1, the commissioner of Karachi informed members of the stabilisation committee that 109 fair price shops had been opened in the SITE, Landhi and Korangi industrial areas to provide essential commodities, including flour, vegetable ghee and coarse cloth at controlled prices to workers of the Sindh capital. He said more than 300,000 people had so far benefited through the chain of such stores. It had been done in the private sector alone. Forty-six shops had also been opened in the public sector.

And how can Karachi not have colour and vibrancy at any given point in time? On Nov 1, a colourful variety programme presented by students highlighted the celebration of the wedding of Prince Aga Khan at the Aga Khan Gymkhana. The function was organised by the H.R.H. Prince Agha Khan Garden Education Board and was largely attended by students from various schools run by the board and their families.

Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2019