KARACHI: The large, ancient banyan tree in one area of the property continues to shade the renowned limestone structure with minarets and the barracks that surround it, just as it did for many years. However, the hummingbirds’ wooden cage that was constructed around its base is now empty. Just like the main house, the clay nesting pots are empty as well.
The main building’s doors have been sealed with small white slips that have the date “18-01-2024” taped to them using Scotch tape. Additionally, they are imprinted with the words “PBC Project Cell (South Zone)”.
The Anti-Terrorist Wing of the Sindh Rangers secretly removed the bird cages and the historic landmark building of Radio Pakistan on M.A. Jinnah Road during the second week of January, after almost eight years. This is the present scenario at the location. Not many people realized that everything had returned to normal because the cement barriers are still outside the main gate.
The Radio Pakistan building has been abandoned, a Sindh Rangers spokesman confirmed to Dawn.
Most of PBC’s operations including the news department will relocate back to the building.
He sounded annoyed when asked why he had moved so quickly.
“All the while, we’ve been the target of criticism and derogatory labels from the media. And you have a problem with that now that we are outside the building? See, we don’t just walk into places. We were given this arrangement by the Government of Sindh, although it was just temporary. We have since relocated to a new location next to the Gadap Toll Plaza that was built to suit our demands,” he said.
Under the condition of anonymity, a senior Radio Pakistan official stated, “Well, if you think about it, this was really not an ideal place for the Ranger to begin with.” “They feel more at ease in open cantonment areas as opposed to urban centers. The senior employee remarked, “I’m sure they also must have had their own safety issues here.”
While the Rangers occupied the former building, Radio Pakistan Karachi was located in a different structure next to the Gulshan-i-Iqbal Civic Center.
That move was not made by the Rangers. This action was made in response to the October 2007 fire that occurred in the former building. Only in 2015 did the Rangers arrive to inspect the security measures in place for Muharram.
Although they were there for about eight years, it is important to note that during that time they did not obstruct Radio Pakistan’s operations at the previous building, including project cell planning and the monthly Urdu magazine Ahang published by the Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation.
The news section and sales and marketing departments will be the first to return to the historic building as the majority of activities are now scheduled to happen gradually over time.
Following the Karachi station’s relocation from the Intelligence School on Queen’s Road, where medium wave transmission from Karachi had begun shortly after Partition under the capable direction of luminaries such as Z.A. Bukhari, Shahid Ahmed Dehlvi, S.M. Saleem, and Abdul Majid, the building was officially opened on July 16, 1951.
