IT was a week when Karachi`s heart-warming pluralistic culture as well as the complications associated with its burgeoning population were in the news. On Oct 2, 1973, Dawn carried a story highlighting that the previous day members of the former division council of Karachi in a joint statement said the age-old municipal administration had become obsolete therefore an autonomous metropolitan government must be set up in the city. The statement was issued after a meeting at the residence of Mirza Jawaid Baig, the convener of Tehreek-i-Shehri Hukoomat. According to them, the government would be based on two fundamental rights: one, fair distribution of local monetary resources; and two, full and effective participation of citizens in local affairs.

But the domestic political situation, as has been pointed out in these pages, seldom affected the city`s all-encompassing culture. On Oct 7, Dusehra was celebrated by the Hindu community of Karachi with traditional devotion. Raja Tridiv Roy, Federal Minister for Minority Affairs, was the chief guest at the specialpuja which was held between 5pm and 7pm. The participants prayed for the prosperity and safety of Pakistan.

In a similar vein, the day before, on Oct 6, the federal minister, Raja Tridiv Roy, gave an interview in which he claimed that plans for setting up a Buddhist temple and cultural centre in Clifton were in progress. He said land for constructing the temple and the cultural space had already been acquired from the Karachi Development Authority (KDA), and the government had sanctioned Rs3OO,000 for thepurpose. Mr Roy was of the view that the project had earned the world`s Buddhists` goodwill for the Pakistani government. Up until now, Buddhists coming to Pakistan from the rest of the world were visiting Taxila but now they could avail such facilities at the proposed centre.

If on the one hand, pluralism was being practised, on the other hand the position of illegal migrants came under scrutiny. On Oct 2, talking to newsmen at Karachi airport after arriving from Quetta, the Governor of Balochistan, Akbar Khan Bugti said no foreign nationals including Afghan powindahs [nomads] could enter the country without valid travel documents. He complained, the powindahs had been crossing the border into Pakistan during the winter season for the past many years, and despite the fact that they did not possess travel documents or authorisation, the past governments had not taken any action to prevent their entry. The government of Balochistan would [now] take necessary steps to check the entry of any foreigner. Answering a question, the governor said he was in Karachi to meet Prime Minister Z A Bhutto.

Speaking of travelling across borders, and on a relatively lighter note, on Oct 3, it was reported that Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was `again` turning to Europe to give its airhostesses a Pakistani look. Having earlier made much ado about a countrywide competition to select the new uniform for its airhostesses and selecting a design, the national airline had now contacted two of the world`s renowned designers Pierre Cardin of France and Marquis Pucci of Italy to do the job. Pierre Cardin had designed their uniform in 1966 which was still being used after seven years.