Written by: Sadaf Shahzad
Posted on: May 19, 2021 | 
Khaliqdina Hall and Library
While driving on Karachi’s historic Bandar Road (now M.A. Jinnah Road), one finds no shortage of beautiful colonial-era buildings that remind visitors of the city’s rich history. At the turn of the century, colonial Karachi was divided between districts for the colonial elite and native population. While the British lived in the southeast Civil Lines Quarter where one can find the likes of Frere Hall, Saddar Bazaar and the Sindh Club, the locals lived in the Old Town in the northwest on Napier Road or Bundar Road.
However, native Christian and Parsi elites donated large quantities of money for the construction of local schools, hospitals and places of recreation, as they believed that the Indians should have access to up-to-date knowledge and should be allowed independent spaces of discussion. While many of these sites have now been neglected or refurbished for other uses, the first recreational building built by a Muslim businessman still remains in use, albeit in a precarious condition.
Khaliqdina Library in the 1900s
Khaliqdina Hall and Library was built in 1906 by businessman and Muslim philanthropist Ghulam Hoosain Khaliqdina as a place where local people could engage in literary and recreational activities. Khaliqdina himself donated Rs. 18,000 to the cause, and due to his contributions his name is still immortalized on the front of the building. The rest of the funding was provided by the Karachi Municipal Corporation to create a building that could house over 600 people at its peak.
The View of the Building from the Side
During the first half of the 20th century, the Hall was a bustling centre of activity, designed in Palladian style by famed Iraqi-Jewish architect Moses Somake. Its Grecian-style architecture featured high columns, a triangular pediment and ceilings made of luxurious teak wood. The bookshelves still house rare British-era publications which were donated by members of the community when the library was being established. While visiting the building and walking through the hall, one cannot help but think of people gathering together to read and discuss events of their time. You can imagine their voices echoing through the open space.
There was a deliberate decision within the site’s architecture not to incorporate any local motifs or materials. This was to not only emphasize the site’s grandeur but to convey the idea that the hall would take a modern approach to learning and recreation. The people who frequented Khaliqdina became more aware of the changing attitudes towards the British, and as anti-colonial sentiment grew within India, Khaliqdina Hall became an important site of protest. It was the chosen venue for the 1921 trial of Maulana Shaukat Ali and Maulana Muhammad Ali Johar, the leaders of the Khilafat Movement to protect the Ottoman Caliphate. While the Johar brothers narrowly escaped what was called the ‘Trial of Sedition’ through popular support, the Hall was henceforth seen as a symbol of indigenous resistance and activity against the British colonial forces.
The Hall’s importance carried over in the post-Partition years and the building was used for both official and civil activities. In the first few years of Independence, sessions of the Muslim League Council were held in the hall, presided over by the likes of Quaid-i-Azam and the then-Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan. Also, eminent religious scholar and orator Allama Rasheed Turabi began the still-existing tradition of Muharram sermons in the hall.
The Main Hall
In the 1970s, Khaliqdina was a site of leftist activity as eminent revolutionary leader Dada Amir Haider held public meetings in the hall. Additionally, around the same time the Pakistan Students Federation set up temporary offices in the building, to hold meetings and distribute text books and utilities to students in need. Within this hall, important leaders and politicians mingled with revolutionaries and activists, who came together to imagine a Pakistan that could match the changing social and political milieu.
The Hall's Veranda
While Khaliqdina Hall has been preserved to some extent, it is now a phantom of the site it once was. The beautiful teak ceiling was destroyed by rain water, and the historic wooden podium on which famous figures of history stood has been stolen. Much of the infrastructure is poorly maintained and has not been updated to fit the technology and climate of Karachi today. The building was conserved by the now-retired Karachi Metropolitan Cooperation in 2002, and is protected as one of the Cultural Heritage Sites of Sindh. The hall and library still function, though not many people visit anymore.
The View of the Columns and Garden
Throughout much of the city’s history, Khaliqdina Hall represented a space for dialogue and community mobilization in one of Karachi’s oldest and most diverse neighborhoods. It is tragic to think about the circumstances which has led to its slow decay and erasure from the city’s memory. Those who have grown up around it and have used its facilities still emphasize how important it is to have public buildings which support the intellectual and social needs of the people.
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