HOW did the nation in general and Karachiites in particular celebrate Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah`s 89th birthday? Yes, the reference is to the month of December in 1965, when Pakistan had almost recovered from the impact of a full-blown war with India that lasted for two weeks in September. Answer: it was an important phase in the country`s history, almost defining the path that it was to take in the time to come. So, the celebrations were according to that spirit.

Karachi was abuzz with activity on Dec 25, 1965. The Quaid`s sister, Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah, despite her bitter experience of the presidential election, was fully involved in the country`s affairs and was probably more concerned about its future than anyone else. She was cognizant of the people`s suffering, and was particularly worried about those who were affected by a cyclone that had recently hit East Pakistan. She relayed her message on the Quaid`s birthday a day earlier, on Dec 24, that is.

In her message she stated that although theFather of the Nation was no more, his great personality remained a source of inspiration for us. And she did not forget to sympathise with those who suffered in the cyclone. A reminder: East Pakistan is now Bangladesh.

The same day, the central minister for food and agriculture, AHMS Doha, opened a symposium on the Quaid organised by seven cultural organisations at Hotel Metropole. Speaking on the occasion he said throughout the 17-day war imposed on Pakistan by India the motto of unity, faith, discipline (yes, that`s the order), given to us by Mr Jinnah, had all along helped the people of Pakistan develop a sense of unity unparalleled in recent history.

On Dec 25, glowing tributes were paid to the Quaid at a largely attended public meeting organised by the Karachi City Muslim League No 4, presided over by a League leader, Ghulam Mohammad Nooruddin. Those who spoke at the meeting included the West Pakistan minister for labour and cooperation, Mahmoud A. Haroon, Usman Omar, Abdul Ghafoor and G. M.

Nooruddin.

The Karachi Boys Scouts Organisation also organised an event that day. Commissioner ofKarachi Syed Darbar Ali Shah presided over it.

He urged the young ones to follow in the Quaid`s footsteps.

Actually, not just the birthday of Mr Jinnah, but the entire week reverberated with similar messages. On Dec 21, the governor of West Pakistan, Malik Amir Mohammad Khan, inaugurated the 1500-foot-long Malir Bridge.

After the opening ceremony, the governor chitchatted with the gathering and the media. He said everything possible was being done by the government to settle the victims of India`s naked aggression in Punjab. War victims, for example, were being sent to villages for settlement, and since most of the government lands had already been leased out under the grow-more-food scheme, after the expiry of the leases the lands would be given to the victims.

As for the Malir Bridge, it was built at a cost of Rs4,838,000. Before its construction, a pre-partition low-level causeway was the only means of crossing the riverbed till it was washed away in 1956. As per a news item published on Dec 21, 1965, the bridge was 13 miles off Karachi. Off Karachi what a strange phrase. Nothing is off Karachi now.