‘Shikasta Tehzeeb: Nazimabad and North Nazimabad’ (Declining Civilisation: Nazimabad and North Nazimabad), a book authored by senior journalist and researcher Shah Waliullah Junaidi, was launched at the Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Sunday with notable personalities, including Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, in attendance.
The event was presided over by renowned poet, writer and researcher Khwaja Razi Haider, while Wahab was the special guest of the ceremony. KPC Secretary Shoaib Khan performed the duties of moderator.
In his opening remarks, the author said Nazimabad and North Nazimabad were once abodes of thriving cultures as educated and distinguished individuals resided here. He said these areas were also exemplary in terms of town planning.
However, Junaid lamented that over the past 70 years, both areas and their inhabitants underwent a reverse journey of progress, and the flourishing culture transformed into a regressive one.
Senior journalist Mehmood Riaz commented that Nazimabad and North Nazimabad were highly civilised areas, known for their reflective and dignified residents. “It is regrettable that today we have to label this culture as broken,” he said.
Journalist Hassan Abbas opined that the once best areas of the city were now facing numerous issues as their roads, streets libraries and other facilities had all deteriorated.
“The libraries outside sports and educational institutions are filled with heaps of garbage. Taimoria Library, which aimed to enlighten students, has been turned into a neglected organisation”, he remarked.
Abbas said Junaidi had done commendable work not only for Nazimabad and North Nazimabad but also in documenting other areas in his other books. “The history of Karachi could not be encapsulated in a single book,” he maintained.
Journalist Muhammad Imran Ahmed termed the book an asset for students and young journalists. “This informative book will not only help them understand the past and present of Nazimabad and North Nazimabad but will also guide them in research,” he said.
Academic Prof Dr Tauseef Ahmed Khan commended the book for its balanced perspective. He added that Junaidi was his student and the book was a source of pride for him.
“The book encompasses the history of the common people, the said.
Veteran journalist Maqsood Yousufi lamented that every field of life was suffering from deterioration today, and no one accepted responsibility.
Haider, who presided over the ceremony, mentioned that he had observed changes in Nazimabad for 50 years. “The Al Hasan Coffee House was inaugurated by Allama Rashid Turabi, where famous writers and poets used to gather,” he recalled.
He added that Junaidi’s efforts were commendable, and advised the Karachi mayor to establish a department where research on the city could be conducted.
Wahab said Nazimabad had a unique characteristic that every person in the city was somehow connected to it.
“The current situation of the city is not what it used to be. Somewhere, somehow, we are all responsible. Our dilemma is that readers are no longer there; people have distanced themselves from books,” he stated.
Appreciating the efforts of the author, the KPC secretary announced that the book would be translated into English and published through the club's funds.
‘Shikasta Tehzeeb’ is Junaidi’s third book. He authored ‘North Karachi Ka Qayam, Shakhsiyat Aur Halaat’ (The rise of North Karachi, personalities and situations) in 2015. His second book "Yeh Shahrah-e-Aam Nahi: Karachi Ki Yadgar Sarkain" (This is not a public thoroughfare: Memorable roads of Karachi) was published in 2019. The English translation of his second book was published the same year.
Gilgit-Baltistan University Vice Chancellor Dr Naeem Khan, Shah Asadullah Junaidi, Fazil Jamili, Mujahid Barelvi, Ashfaq Ur Rahman, Abid Hussain, Musharaf Arifi, Asghar Umar, Aamir Latif and Saleemullah Siddiqui also attended the event.