Shah Waliullah Junaidi is a senior journalist and researcher who has written two books about

Karachi already: Karachi, Nisf Sadi Ka Qissa in 2017 and Yeh Shahrah-i-Aam Nahin in 2019.
Junaidi seems to be a true lover of Karachi, the city of his birth and residence. He has ably
sought, collected and collated facts about the city. Shikasta Tehzeeb: Nazimabad Aur North
Nazimabad — Tareekh, Shakhsiaat, Waaqeyaat continues in the same tradition.

As its subtitle clarifies, it is a history of Karachi’s well known areas Nazimabad and North
Nazimabad. The author is highly nostalgic of his time spent in Nazimabad but he has also taken
pains to delve into the inception, planning and development of the locality.

Shikasta Tehzeeb is divided into 10 chapters. The first deals with the historical background of
the area. In 1950, a large tract of uninhabited and arid land was acquired in the north of the city
and was named after the Governor General of the time, Khawaja Nazimuddin. It is here that
Nazimabad was laid out in five blocks, according to the best practices of town planning.

The author states that most of those who came to live here initially were Urdu-speaking people
and were among the intelligentsia of the city. A list of luminaries who have lived in Nazimabad
is presented to prove the point. It thus became a hub of literary activities, attracting like-minded
citizens from other parts of Karachi.

A new book gathers in one place important and interesting information on Karachi’s first
planned neighbourhoods — Nazimabad and North Nazimabad — and the people who once lived
there

In Chapter Two, there is a detailed account of the infrastructure of Nazimabad. The names of
roads and streets, the number and location of petrol stations and hospitals, telephone exchanges
and even telephone booths and bus routes are included.

Chapter Three narrates the history of the nation through the lens of various elections. First, the
Basic Democracy elections under Gen Ayub Khan and then the Ayub/Fatima Jinnah elections
are considered, in both of which there were great irregularities, at least in Nazimabad.

The author then talks of the sad dismemberment of the country after the 1970 elections. The
1977 elections, which were also suspect, sparked a four-month-long civil protest, in which
Nazimabad had a leading role. The unrest ended only with Gen Ziaul Haq’s martial law, during
which time lashes were administered at the Eidgah Maidan in Nazimabad to those convicted by
military courts.

Chapter Four has lists of famous journalists and authors who lived in Nazimabad. Chapter Five is
pure nostalgia for the simplicity of the early days of Pakistan.

Chapter Six is titled ‘Yadgaar Waqeyaat’ [Memorable Events] but is basically a round-up of
crimes perpetrated in Nazimabad, as reported in the newspaper Jang. At about this point, the
book starts to drag, especially for a reader who has no connections with Nazimabad. Happily,
however, the narrative soon becomes more interesting again.
Chapter Seven contains intricate details about each block of Nazimabad, turn by turn. The lists of
the blocks’ internal streets and roads and important landmarks do not make for riveting reading.
However, the chapter is also replete with fascinating human interest stories connected with the
notable residents of Nazimabad.

The author states that most of those who came to live here initially were Urdu-speaking people
and were among the intelligentsia of the city. A list of luminaries who have lived in Nazimabad
is presented to prove the point. It thus became a hub of literary activities, attracting like-minded
citizens from other parts of Karachi... there is a detailed account of the infrastructure of
Nazimabad. The names of roads and streets, the number and location of petrol stations and
hospitals, telephone exchanges and even telephone booths and bus routes are included.

For example, there is mention of how, in 1857, the ancestors of one resident saved the Jamia
Masjid in Delhi from becoming a stable for the British cavalry and, subsequently, from being
auctioned off. The film Chiragh Jalta Raha is brought up because the producer was from
Nazimabad as was actress Zeba who made her debut in this film. Reshma, the Rajasthani folk
singer, was introduced to the world by another native of Nazimabad. There is also an account of
how the Ghalib Library was founded on the centenary of the poet, with the help of Faiz Ahmed
Faiz and a bank.

An eccentric who maintains a mini cattle farm on the roof of his home, the first female graduate
of Aligarh University, and the absconding Bhopat Daku are some of the other stories of
Nazimabad residents included in the book.

The lists of important/famous inhabitants of Nazimabad, though comprehensive, are very

difficult to wade through. They are neither alphabetised nor classified in any order. Actually,
Shikasta Tehzeeb could have done with better editing in general. The paragraphing is arbitrary
and often inappropriate. Repetition is ubiquitous.

There are also factual mistakes which should not have been allowed to slip through. For
example, the length of the Gujjar Nala is different on different pages. Food rationing had started
pre-Partition and had continued for decades thereafter, yet the author states it started in 1960.
Similarly, Justice Qadeeruddin Ahmed never lived in Nazimabad but he is listed as a resident.
The presence of even a few errors such as these can cast suspicion on the entire contents of the
book.

Chapters Eight, Nine and Ten are about North Nazimabad, which is the more upscale neighbour
of Nazimabad. The author uses the same template that he has used for the exposition of
Nazimabad. The configuration of the area with minute details is presented, as are lists of
important people and of heinous crimes committed there.

Once again, it is the stories of general interest that catch the eye, such as the love affair of a
Pakhtun boy and an Urdu-speaking girl — which ended in the death of both — and the way the
North Nazimabad hills were used to advertise Javed Jabbar’s film Beyond The Last Mountain.
The title of the book, Shikasta Tehzeeb, elucidates the point of view of the author. He laments
that both Nazimabad and North Nazimabad have changed beyond recognition. The road network
has been altered with the advent of flyovers and underpasses, the familiar chowrangis or
crossings have disappeared, playgrounds, and parks and even service roads have been lost due to
encroachments. The old dwellers of the areas have died, moved to other parts of Karachi or
migrated to foreign shores. Street crimes are rife and the various mafias make the rules. The
glory days of Nazimabad and North Nazimabad are long gone.

Despite this lament about bygone days, Syed Waliullah Junaidi has put together a good reference
book on the history of Nazimabad and North Nazimabad. It is a worthy milestone in his quest to
record the story of Karachi for posterity. The book is a good resource for future writers and
researchers and the author is to be commended for his effort.

The reviewer is is a freelance writer, author of the novel The Tea Trolley and translator of
Toofan Se Pehlay: Safar-i-Europe Ki Diary

Published in Dawn, Books & Authors, January 14th, 2024