Century-old timepieces ticking accurately at Golra Sharif Junction

Islamabad: Time is money, and without clocks, no one would know what time of the day it is. In Pakistan, countless clocks installed during the British rule, in various public places have survived over centuries, and are still accurately giving time to commuters. Of such clocks one is at the Golra Sharif Junction, a train station located near Islamabad.

Established in 1889 during the Victorian era, with magnificent well-preserved architecture, the most attractive part of the station is its century-old clocks. These heavy dial clocks became time tellers for passengers at the station.

Those visiting the station can’t help but admire the grandeur of the clocks displayed at the Glora Sharif station. According to the stationmasters, the British installed these heavy-duty clocks when they introduced railway systems in the subcontinent.

The contract of these clocks was given to a company -- Gillett, and they were installed in 1899. “These clocks had pendulums on them but now they operate on batteries," said a stationmaster. "The specialty of these clocks is that they still tell the exact time.” There are more of such clocks that have been preserved in the museum of this railway station, much older than the Golra Sharif Station’s clock.