A brief History of PIB Colony

Hi folks, here is a brief look at the area I loved, was raised in, played cricket, learned to drive, witnessed arial firing, burning cars, violence, helping neighbours, caring people, kind public and so many things more which would be indescribable............ one more thing to add is that the current Mayor of Karachi is also from PIB COLONY!


PIB Colony: echoes of the past
By Qadeer Hussain Tanoli
KARACHI: One of the oldest residential areas of Karachi, Pir Ilahi Bux (PIB) Colony, with its conservative ambience, still reminds visitors of the days gone by when the intellectual elite inhabited it. Narrow streets, some pushcart vendors selling old books and many other things still look as they did in the past. There, however, are a few exceptions, like high-rises in the colony, which should have looked odd in the days gone by.
The colony is named after Pir Ilahi Bux who was one of those in the vanguard of Pakistan movement and the first Chief Minster of Sindh after independence.
After the inception of Pakistan in 1947, Muslim migrants from Uttar Pardesh (also called the United Provinces, or UP) and Muslims from other parts of India settled in this colony.
It is also said that the PIB colony is the only locality in the metropolis that has a legally notified bus stop. The old residents of the area said that 30 to 35 years ago there used to a big market of old books near the bus stop frequented by avid readers o the city.
One of most famous writers of Pakistan, Anwar Maqsood, used to reside in this colony while Deputy-Convener of Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Rabita Committee, Dr Farooq Sattar also lives here. Moreover, Qamar Jalil, an ex-leader of Jamat-e-Islami, Women’s Wing, also lived in the locality. The inhabitants of the area believed that the colony has become much quieter and peaceful and bit crime-free after the shifting of old vegetable market from here to Sohrab Goth.
The main road of the locality which had been named after Zohair Akram Nadim and which connects the colony with the Jail Road often happens to be jammed due to heavy encroachment on both the sides. The noted thoroughfare of the city, Liyari Express Way, also passes close to the PIB Colony.
There are two marriage lawns, a sports complex, a maternity home, colleges, and numerous private hospitals in the colony.
The residents of the locality claim that two-room house unit along with a balcony, constructed over 200 yards used to be worth of Rs4,000 in 1948/49 whose price now has spiraled to as much as Rs3.5 million.
The PIB Colony UC under the local government system is the part of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town. Adjacent areas like Nafisabad, Aminabad, and Iqbal Colony constitute the full jurisdiction of the PIB Colony.

source: www.jang-group.com