Conserving KU

We often treat development and conservation as if they are mutually exclusive. If one is pursued then it must be at the expense of the other. We see this in the construction of high-rise buildings that obscure historic monuments or in the case of the Orange Line metro train project in Lahore passing in front of the Shalimar Gardens. But development in much-needed infrastructure does not have to come at the expense of the environment and our heritage. A recent controversy at Karachi University gives us the opportunity to combine both environmental awareness and the need for development. Karachi University had approved the construction of a new research library dedicated to former Vice Chancellor Jameel Jalibi. This was a worthy endeavour since the new library would house more than 100,000 books as well as historical documents and manuscripts from Jalibi’s personal collection. The library was originally meant to be part of the Sardar Yasin Malik Professional Development Centre but Karachi University abruptly changed its mind and decided to construct the library next to the main Dr Mahmud Husain Library. This threatens the historic architecture and surroundings of the main library. Accommodating the new library will ruin the original design of French architect Michel Ecochard.

Aesthetic destruction aside, the construction of the new library means uprooting the cherry trees that dot the previously unspoiled landscape. Karachi University has started this work without obtaining approval from the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency or explaining why it moved the original proposed location of the library. Teachers at the university have criticised the construction and want the library either to be incorporated within the Mahmud Husain Library or else moved back to the professional development centre. That their complaints have gone unheeded shows that the voices of the donors and patrons who provide funding for these new ventures – and who usually want their names on new buildings – take precedence over environmental considerations. A public university like Karachi University has a duty to always put civic concerns first. It has not done so in this case and clearly needs to heed the complaints of those who want to benefit from the new library but without losing an important part of Karachi University.