KARACHI, Feb 23: An array of rare, historical and remarkably well-preserved stamps and other postal paraphernalia was on display at the Pakistan Stamps Show, 2008, part of the latest All About Lifestyles exhibition, which opened its doors on Saturday and will be on till Monday, Feb 25.

The stamps, said to number over 2,000, have been preserved by Pakistan Post and the Pakistan Stamp Collectors’ Society, and are on display in one of the halls of the Expo Centre here, where the exhibition is being held.

For the hardcore philatelist, the stamps show is a virtual wonderland, while for the casual observer the exhibit is a quick history lesson revisiting our recent past. Some of the highlights of the show include censored mail from the 1965 war, as well as envelop labels sponsored by a commercial concern, which draw attention to the plight of over 90,000 Pakistan prisoners of war (POWs) that languished in Indian jails after the 1971 debacle. Letters from 1971’s POWs to their kith and kin – facilitated by the Red Cross – mostly written in Urdu with one or two in English, made for heart-wrenching reading.

The samples of stamp-less mail from Germany, dating back to the 1800s, were also a delight, while some of the quirkier exhibits include odd-shaped stamps from the tiny Pacific archipelago of Tonga; stamps in the shapes of circles, crosses, bananas, maps, hearts and shapes which escape description definitely set these specimens apart from boring old squares and rectangles.

Stamps and postmarks which detail the changing geo-political realities of the recent past include a sample from Manama, dependency of Ajman (now all part of the UAE), which should not be confused with the Bahraini capital; court papers of Bahawalpur State; Victorian postmarks from undivided India; stamps from erstwhile princely states such as Bhopal, Cochin, Hyderabad Deccan and Gwalior; Palestinian stamps from the early 20th century before the Zionist occupation and Indian stamps over-stamped with ‘Bahrain,’ presumably a temporary measure used till the Persian Gulf kingdom developed its own postal system.

Another peculiar stamp was from 1976, which celebrated the birth centenary of one Sir Mohamad Ali Djanah, now better known as M.A. Jinnah.

Aside from the stamps show, other cultural activities included at All About Lifestyles – which saw a considerable number of visitors on Saturday – was ‘Karachi Through Your Eyes,’ an exhibit of stunning photographs taken by students, as well as impressive drawings by younger children; a display of photographs by professional lensman Sheji Kazmi; an appearance by renowned humour writer Shafiq-ur-Rahman on Sunday at the Books & Authors pavilion as well as a dog show, also to be held on Sunday.

Entry to All About Lifestyles is free and only for families, while the timings are from 10am to 10 pm.