IN November 1974, the Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) celebrated 10 years of the advent of television in the country. In that connection, Karachi Television Centre (KTV) hosted some entertaining programmes. For example, on Nov 25 this newspaper reported that a couple of days back an all-Pakistan mushaira was organised jointly by PTV and the Karachi Press Club (KPC) on the club’s premises. Prominent poets from all over the country took part in the event. They included Syed Aal-e-Raza (who presided), Qateel Shifai, Jamiluddin Aali, Mahirul Qadri, Rais Amrohvi, Mohsin Ahsan, Khalid Alig, Suroor Barabankvi, Munir Niazi, Ahmed Hamdani, Muzaffar Warsi, Ada Jafri, Sehba Akhtar, Himayat Ali Shair and Syed Mohammad Jafri. Provincial ministers Pyarali Allana and Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani were also in the audience.

Then on Nov 29, more than 25000 people crowded the PTV Folk Festival inaugurated by Balochistan’s renowned folk singer Faiz Mohammad Baloch at the KMC Sports Ground on Kashmir Road. The venue — where most of the space was used by various stalls highlighting the rural lifestyle of the four provinces and Azad Kashmir — was visited by thousands of men, women and children to experience a variety of entertainment shows offered at the mela. There was no ceremonial tape-cutting. Faiz Mohammad Baloch inaugurated the festival by opening the main gate to the KMC ground, playing the tambura and reciting the munajat. He then took a round of the venue singing a song based on the brave deeds of the people of Balochistan.

Such activities can be a sight for sore eyes. Speaking of eyes, on Nov 25, an expert representing the International Eye Foundation, Washington arrived in Karachi to survey the possibilities for an ophthalmic assistance training programme in the city. Richard Josal, an ophthalmic technician, planned to discuss his ideas with Pakistani eye specialists. He had already met the medical superintendent of the Spencer’s Eye Hospital and Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and was now looking forward to similar meetings with specialists from the Jinnah Post-Graduate Medical Centre (JPMC) and Civil Hospital.

Staying on the subject of health, on Nov 26, Begum Nusrat Bhutto impressed upon doctors the need for making concerted efforts to treat those who were unwell with respect and understanding. She was speaking at a reception given in her honour by the Association of Private Clinics and Hospitals of Karachi at a local hotel. She said, “Doctors belong to a noble profession and should resist the temptation of a ‘get rich quick’ mentality.” She pointed out that there was a big gap between the needs of the community and the available medical manpower.

The next day, Nov 27, she visited the St John Ambulance Association headquarters. Discussing a 22-bed hospital project with the association’s managing committee, Ms Bhutto emphasised the importance of setting up a chain of outpatient dispensaries in various parts of the city to serve as ‘filter clinics’. She argued that small dispensaries were of a much greater utility compared to the big unmanageable hospitals. She lauded the services rendered by Parsi and Christian communities to the city’s development adding they should be involved in the association’s activities.

Published in Dawn, November 25th, 2024