The night Karachi hid Gandhi
This article recounts the historical preservation of a Mahatma Gandhi statue in Karachi, Pakistan, which was hidden by local citizens during the communal riots of 1948. The statue was eventually moved to the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.
Why it matters
It provides a historical perspective on the cultural and political tensions surrounding the Partition of India and the preservation of shared history.
One of the first things I did when I returned to Pakistan in early 2000, this time as the Indian High Commissioner, was to pay my respects to an imposing bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi. One of only two Gandhi statutes in Pakistan, Bapuji stands tall at the lobby of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, famed walking stick in hand, gazing into the distance.The tale of how a pre-Partition statue found its way to its eventual home in the Indian High Commission is a fascinating saga reflecting the tangled tumultuous history of our two countries. It is a journey in which I was honoured to have played a small part.According to several accounts, the statue originally stood outside the Sindh high court on what was known as Kings Way in Karachi.
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