With 18 murders and violent deaths in just the past few days, Karachi is living up to its reputation for being one of the world's most dangerous
cities -- a teeming den of ethnic violence and decades-long bloody political feuds. With more than 13 million people living in this South Asian metropolis, the nerve center of Pakistan's culture and commerce, life today often means squeaking out an existence amid an urban chaos, punctuated by roadside bombs, bus explosions, and shootings by militants affiliated with the
Taliban and al Qaeda. Last summer, in July alone, some 300 people were gunned down across the city in a spate of targeted killings. But the Karachi of the 1960s and 1970s was a much
different place. The city
became a stop on the "Hippie Trail," a popular route that led bohemians from Britain and
the United States across Asia on their search for enlightenment. With the influx of Westerners before the
country's takeover by Gen. Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq in 1977, Karachi enjoyed a period of relative
permissiveness, with nightclubs, bars, cinemas, and restaurants hosting the
city's vibrant nightlife. Here's a special collection of photographs from that time, courtesy of the Citizen's Archive of Pakistan, a non-profit organization dedicated to cultural and historical preservation.
Above, a Karachi family poses for a photo. The woman, sporting short hair, a sleeveless dress, and sunglasses, appears to be taking fashion cues from American first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, who visited Karachi herself in the 1960s.
Personal Collection of Adeeba Abidi/The Citizens Archive of Pakistan
With the Hippie Trail generating so many
word-of-mouth tourists by the beginning of the 1970s, the Pakistani government created an
official Tourism Ministry in 1972. Cheap hotels sprang up throughout the city
to accommodate Western tourists on a backpacker's budget, and hotel restaurants
became a popular gathering place to enjoy alcohol and live music.
Personal Collection of Adeeba Abidi/The Citizens Archive of Pakistan
The Karachi Race Course was built in 1913,
when Pakistan was under British rule. Pictured above is a racehorse on the original track, located
behind the Cantonment Railway Station, Karachi's main train hub.
Horse racing and casinos flourished in Karachi
during the 1970s, before gambling was banned. Still, the new Karachi Course, built
in 1989, holds several races each week.
The Citizens Archive of Pakistan
Sind Club, the
oldest in Karachi, opened its doors in 1871 as an exclusively European gentlemen's club.
After Pakistan gained independence in 1947, the club was opened to Pakistani
elites. The club featured a billiards room, tennis court, squash court, walking
track, sauna, and even a bakery. Once a year, women were invited to the Sind Club
for its annual ball.
Nightclubs in Karachi -- among them the Playboy, Excelsior, and Oasis -- were a big draw in the 1960s and 1970s, and most of them were much less exclusive than the gentlemen's club at Sind. Dancing and booze kept club-goers entertained. But in 1977, alcohol was banned and all nightclubs were ordered to shut down.
The Citizens Archive of Pakistan
Merewether Tower is another British Raj-era
landmark in Karachi, named after Gen. William L. Merewether, who served
as commissioner of Sindh, the province's highest governing official, from 1867
to 1877. (Merewether was also a founding member and president of the Sind
gentlemen's club.)
A Guide to Karachi, P.I. Publications/The Citizens Archive of Pakistan
Women and children play in front of
a merry-go-round. Amusement parks in Karachi -- such as Playland, a park that
featured bumper cars and a roller coaster -- were popular with the city's
inhabitants. Long-time Karachi residents still reminisce
about visits
to Playland as children.
The Citizens Archive of Pakistan
Women and children enjoy themselves on a ferris wheel. Such amusements are hard to come by in today's Karachi: Playland
was dismantled in 2007 to make space for a public park commissioned by
President Pervez Musharraf.
A Guide to Karachi, P.I. Publications/The Citizens Archive of Pakistan
Similarly, Pakistan theaters once
enjoyed an element of freedom. Established in 1947, the Nishat Cinema was one of
Karachi's most popular theaters and the first to offer air-conditioning. It
screened only Urdu films until 1972, when it was renovated and began showing
some English-language movies on its new big screen. Pakistan's film industry
thrived until the 1980s, when Zia-ul-Haq's censorship policies forced many
theaters to shut down.
Nishat Cinema survived the reform years, but eventually closed in 2004 as the number of movie-goers dwindled.
The Citizens Archive of Pakistan
Karachi's
City Court stands on the busy Jinnah Road. The court building, which was built in 1868, served
as a jail until it was converted to judicial quarters in 1906. Nadeem F.
Paracha, a cultural history blogger for Pakistan's media outlet Dawn, writes
that crime was much less prevalent in 1970's Karachi. Unlike today, gun violence and
drug usage in the city was very low. He quotes a long-time Karachi librarian,
who said: "There used to be infamous ghoondas.
But they were nothing compared to the hooligans of today. Young men used to get
into drunken brawls and gang fights, mostly over women and politics, but guns
were hardly ever used. They used fists, knifes, chains ... but nobody ever knew
what a TT pistol or a Kalashnikov was."
A Guide to Karachi, P.I. Publications/The Citizens Archive of Pakistan
A coastal city on the Arabian Sea, fishing has
always been an important part of Karachi's economy. In the 1970s and 1980s,
world consumption of fish skyrocketed and boosted incomes in the city. The shark fin trade around the Arabian Sea has also been a
lucrative industry for decades. In this photo, Pakistani fishermen haul sharks
onto the deck of their boat.
A Guide to Karachi, P.I. Publications/The Citizens Archive of Pakistan
Frere Hall, a British Raj-era building built in 1865, was the site of public town hall meetings until Pakistan
gained independence in 1947. It later became a hub for Karachi's social
and cultural activities, housing many of the city's concerts and theatrical
performances. Jazz shows became very popular in 1970s Karachi, and local pop artists enjoyed
broad audiences.
A Guide to Karachi, P.I. Publications/The Citizens Archive of Pakistan
Pictured above is Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar
Road (formerly McLeod Road), in Karachi's financial district. Most of the international embassies and business
headquarters are now located along this road, along with internationally
franchised restaurants. During the 1970s, the cafes along Chundrigar Road were
populated by activists who congregated to discuss politics and social issues.
A Guide to Karachi, P.I. Publications/The Citizens Archive of Pakistan
A man
walks along the Jahangir Kothari Parade, a promenade built in the 1920s near
the resort district of Clifton Beach. The project, which was named for its
commissioner, was a gift to the city of Karachi from one of the country's most
prominent philanthropists. The residential part of Clifton is where the former
Pakistani president Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto lived with his family.
A Guide to Karachi, P.I. Publications/The Citizens Archive of Pakistan
But even in the 1970s, at the height of Western tourism, there was simmering conflict. Above is the Port of Karachi -- the
country's largest and busiest deep water port, and a critical locus
on East-West trade routes for centuries. In 1971, ships along the port suffered
damage in the war with India, and in 1972, protests broke out among laborers
in the industrial areas surrounding the port. When workers occupied the
factories, police opened fire on the demonstrators, killing several.
A Guide to Karachi, P.I. Publications/The Citizens Archive of Pakistan
Sea
View Beach, a silver-sand beach in the Clifton resort area, was a popular
resort and tourist destination in the 1970s. Hotels popped
up throughout the district to accommodate beach visitors, and they were always
packed. Camel rides on the beach, as pictured above, were a common tourist
attraction at Sea View. In fact, Jackie Kennedy's visit to Karachi included a camel ride.
A Guide to Karachi, P.I. Publications/The Citizens Archive of Pakistan
Scottish Presbyterian missionaries built St.
Andrews Church in 1868 on land issued by the British government. Only Europeans
congregated at St. Andrews until 1947; after independence, in 1969, the church began conducting
Urdu services for Pakistani Christians. St. Andrews merged with the Church of
Pakistan in the 1970s, combining the Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, and
Anglicans into one entity. Protestants in Pakistan were largely undisturbed
until the end of the 1970s, when Zia-ul-Haq began implementing Islamic reforms
that led to the persecution and marginalization of Christians. Today,
Protestants in Sindh Province (where Karachi is located), make up less than 1
percent of the population.
A Guide to Karachi, P.I. Publications/The Citizens Archive of Pakistan
Karachi's Hill Park, built in the late 1960s as a spot for family recreation, was famous for its picnics and outdoor movie screenings. Hill Park still exists: It remains a popular attraction swarmed with visitors on the weekends, although the mood changed after a theme park and fast food restaurants were built in the 1990s. Today, much of what's left of the graceful, open Karachi is but a memory.
A Guide to Karachi, P.I. Publications/The Citizens Archive of Pakistan
