This week 50 years ago: Victoria to Abdullah Haroon Road and fair price shops.

Byline: Peerzada Salman

QUESTION: When was the decision to change the name of Victoria Road to Abdullah Haroon Road taken? Answer: Oct 30, 1969.

Yes, on Oct 31, 1969 it was announced that Victoria Road would get a new name, officially, on Nov 1. That wasn't it. A few other roads that were likely to be renamed were Empress Road, Havelock Road and McLeod Road. Also, some of the side-lanes which bore such names as Giddu Mall Road, Asanmal Ojah Road and Pardhan Road were to get new names by the Karachi administration. The Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) early in the year had marked seven roads and streets for the local authorities for renaming. Abdullah Haroon Road was one of them.

Of course, these were thoroughfares that had existed before independence. Karachi was expanding fast after partition and new neighbourhoods, such as Liaquatabad, with new lanes and by-lanes were emerging. But they hadn't fully developed. Some of them didn't have the kind of amenities that were required to make a locality survive. On Oct 30, the KMC decided to provide water tap connections in every house in blocks 8, 9 and 10 of Liaquatabad. The public works subcommittee had recommended the project to the KMC council which was to approve the scheme in its next general meeting.

Liaquatabad was a neighbourhood that was mainly populated with the immigrant community. Speaking of which, and some of us might not know it, back then there was an All Pakistan Mohajir Board led by noted businessman Ahmed Jaffer. On Oct 29, a deputation of the Mohajir board called upon the Chief Election Commissioner, Justice Abdul Sattar, in Karachi and placed before him proposals for the correct enumeration of voters, printing of electoral rolls in Urdu in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), eligibility of refugees for enrolment as voters in East Pakistan, issuance of identity cards to voters to...