Traces of this Pakistani megacity’s past are disappearing, but one flamboyant pink palace remains – LocalNews8.com

Associated Press

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — Stained glass windows, a sweeping staircase and ornate interiors make Mohatta Palace a jewel in Karachi, a Pakistani megacity of 20 million people. Peacocks roam the lawn, and the sounds of construction and traffic fade away as visitors enter the grounds.

The pink stone balustrades, domes and parapets appear to have originated in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan, a remnant from a time when Muslims and Hindus lived side by side in the port city.

But pomp and circumstance are no guarantee of survival in a city where land is scarce and development is rampant. Demolition, encroachment, neglect, fragmented conservation laws and vandalism are eroding signs of Karachi’s past.

The building’s managers have fought off an attempt to convert it into a dental school, but a decades-old lawsuit continues as heirs of a former owner attempt to seize control of the land. It sat vacant for nearly two decades before officially opening as a museum in 1999.

The palace is in a prime location in the sought-after Old Clifton district, among mansions, businesses and chic restaurants.

The land under buildings like the Mohatta Palace is highly sought after, said palace lawyer Faisal Siddiqi. “It shows that greed is more important than heritage.”

Karachi’s population is growing by about 2% each year and with dozens of communities and cultures competing for space, little effort is made to protect the city’s historical sites.

For most Pakistanis, the palace is the closest thing to the architectural splendor of India’s Rajasthan. Travel restrictions and hostile bureaucracy prevent people in both countries from crossing the border for leisure, study or work.

Karachi’s multicultural past makes it harder to find champions for its preservation than in a city like Lahore, with its strong ties to the Muslim-dominated Mughal Empire, said Heba Hashmi, a heritage manager and maritime archaeologist.

“The scale of organic local community support needed to prioritize government investment in conservation efforts is nearly impossible to come by in a city as socially fragmented as Karachi,” she said.

Mohatta Palace is a symbol of that diversity. Hindu entrepreneur Shivratan Mohatta had it built in the 1920s because he wanted a seaside retreat for his ailing wife to take advantage of the Arabian Sea breeze. Hundreds of donkey carts transported the strikingly colored pink stone from Jodhpur, now across the border in India.

He left after the partition of the country in 1947, when India and Pakistan were separated as independent nations from the former British Empire. For a time, the palace was occupied by the Foreign Office.

It subsequently came into the hands of the Pakistani royal family as the residence of Fatima Jinnah, the younger sister of Pakistan’s first leader and an influential politician in her own right.

After her death, the authorities gave the building to her sister Shirin, but Shirin’s death in 1980 led to a lawsuit among people who said they were her relatives. The court ordered the building to be sealed.

The dark and empty palace, with its overgrown gardens and locked gates, captured the imagination of people, and rumours spread of ghosts and supernatural happenings.

Someone who heard the stories as a young girl was Nasreen Askari, now director of the museum.

“I used to run past it as a child,” she said. “I was told it was a bhoot (haunted) bungalow and warned not to go there.”

Visitor Ahmed Tariq had heard a lot about the palace’s architecture and history. “I’m from Bahawalpur (in Punjab, India) where we have the Noor Mahal Palace, so I was keen to see this palace. It’s well maintained, there’s a lot of detail and effort put into the presentations. It was a good experience.”

But the money for the palace’s maintenance does not come from entrance fees.

General admission is 30 rupees, or 10 U.S. cents, and is free for students, children and seniors. On a sultry afternoon, the palace attracted only a trickle of visitors.

The shop is open from Tuesday to Sunday, but is closed on public holidays. Even the opening hours of 11am to 6pm are not ideal for a city like Karachi where it is late at night.

The palace is rented out for corporate and charity events, and local media reports that residents complain about traffic and noise levels.

But the palace does not get all the attention, even though it could help create a place for the building in modern Pakistan.

Rumors of hauntings continue to spread through TikTok, attracting influencers looking for spooky stories. But the palace has banned filming inside and briefly banned TikTokers.

“It’s not the attention the trustees wanted,” Askari said. “That’s what happens when you have something significant or unusual. It draws attention.”

There is also a sign on the gate prohibiting fashion shoots, weddings and filming for commercials.

“We could make so much money, but the floodgates would open,” Askari said. “There would be nonstop weddings and no room for visitors or events, and there would be so much cleanup to do.”

According to archaeologist Hashmi, there is often a strong territorialism surrounding the preserved sites.

“It counterproductively transforms a place of public heritage into an exclusive and often expensive artefact for selective consumption.”