This picture was taken inside the Seafield Karachi, the grand residence of Late Sir Haji Abdullah Haroon, along with Honourable Hussain Abdullah Haroon, the bold and brave Pakistani Envoy and Former Foriegn Minister.
Many may wonder my relevance to the place and the people who live there. In nutshell, my great grandfather Sardar Hashim Khan, was the one who once lived in early 19 century in Karachi, post second Anglo – Afghan War, and interacted with the city’s nobility including Honourable Sir Sultan Muhammad Khan- Agha Khan iii, who also once lived there and remained his personal friend . Later his only son and my grandfather Sardar Abdur Rehman Khan Effendi, whenever visited Karachi would put up in the same house like Muhammad Ali Jinnah himself and so the Abdullah Haroon family reciprocated whenever they visited Rawalpindi or Kashmir. The connection is therefore too old and so my relevance to this place and the people both those known and unknown to me in person .
The silence that today surrounds the building speaks of its grandeur when Sir Abdullah Haroon was there with his Honourable Lady wife and adorable children, most of them no more who remains scattered like my own unfortunate family but something that sentimentally attaches me to the family, was the charitable nature of Sir Abdullah Haroon, buried in his founded orphanage in Karachi amongst the orphans, who being an orphan himself preferred life hereafter in their company. I admire his guts having raised himself from the streets to the status of the Kings and Princes including companionship of Muhammad Ali Jinnah . It is only the noble deeds of Sir Abdullah Haroon that today keeps his name and legacy alive, winning my own respect for the entire family.
It is a sad spectacle to see today this historic house of a larger than life Muslim political leader, being surrounded by the ugly high rises built by the greedy builders of Karachi, who want to rise high in the society without realising both heritage and unity of any society or family serve as a strong foundation that promises their progress. The stronger the foundation the longer lasting, as opposed to the weak foundation unable to stand longer both as a building or family that makes many palaces deserted and great families forgotten whose stories of their past grandeur the silence speaks but is unfortunately never heard .