Clifton, Karachi
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Clifton is one of the neighborhoods of Saddar Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.
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[edit] Demographics
There are several ethnic groups in Saddar Town including Urdu speakers, Punjabis, Sindhis, Kashmiris, Seraikis, Pashtuns, Balochs, Memons, Bohras, Ismailis. The population of Saddar Town is estimated to be nearly one million.
[edit] Location
Clifton lies in the southern area of Saddar Town. Clifton has been a residential place of the rich and famous people of Karachi since independence of Pakistan. South of Clifton lies Clifton Beach, Pakistan's most popular beach.
[edit] Sites of Interest/Landmarks
- Shrine of Abdullah Shah Ghazi, the patron saint of Karachi. Visitors are from a cross section of society.
- Jehangir Kothari Parade (1922) along with the Katrak Bandstand and Lady Lloyd Pier. The Pier enabled people to walk towards the sea, but over the years the sea has retreated.
- Bagh-e-Ibne Qasim
- Mohatta Palace was the last residence of sisters, Fatima Jinnah and Shireen Jinnah. It has now been converted into a museum.
- Constructed in the 1970s, the Do (two) and Teen (three) Talwar (swords) monuments on main Clifton Road are important landmarks.
[edit] Houses
- 70 Clifton is a famous residence, belonging to late Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, President of Pakistan in the early 1970s which was later used as a sub-jail for his daughter Benazir Bhutto, who later became a prime minister of Pakistan in the late eighties and then in the mid nineties for a second time. Mir Murtaza Bhutto, the elder son of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, also lived there and was killed near the main gate of 70 Clifton Road by the police in the late 1990s.
[edit] Consulates
A number of consulates are located in this areas. These are:
- Consulate of Germany
- Consulate of Islamic Republic of Iran.
- consulate of Italy
- Consulate of Russia
- Deputy High Commission of the United Kingdom.
[edit] Shopping Centres
Located on Teen Talwar, one could consider Gulf Shopping Mall as the one of the most famous and the oldest mall of the town. People from all around the country visit this place. Here, you can find all types of things but it mostly specializes in clothes for ladies and traditional shoes and bangles. The other shopping mall is Uzma Center which also provides and caters the same variety of items provided in the latter mall. One of the most famous is Ashiana as thhub of all exclusive clothes and you can find a great variety of clothes and materials.
Near Ashiana, is Forum which is recently build and is one of the modern malls of karachi and provides an outlook of the modernism which is taking place in the country. It is a two storey mall with offices of various companies on the top of it. Park Towers or also known as The Point is the most sophisticated malls of Clifton and that includes Karachi. Opposite the shrine of Abdullah Shah Ghazi, this mall provides and caters to the need of everyone ranging from brand outlets to restaurants of international chain, supermarket to mobile shops, ice cream parlours to fashion line clothing. Its a huge mall with modern elevators and a small capsule lift. This shows and increases the importance of Clifton, or the heartbeat of Karachi.
Now, Clifton Road has become a commercial center, known for availability of high-quality goods, here wealthy and affluent people from all around Karachi (and Pakistan) come to shop.
[edit] Karachi Port Trust (KPT) underpass
Another addition on the main Clifton Road is the KPT underpass, which is located between the two monuments mentioned above. This was completed in 2006 and it has created more problems to the general public than before, as it was mainly constructed to give the car owners a non-stop pass through. The two major problems it caused are: 1) No right turn and 2) Only private vehicles are allowed to travel through it - meaning that the general public using buses or coaches have to suffer long and round-about type travel because they can not go through the underpass. in the monsoon season, the underpass serves the dual purpose of a public swimming pool.
This underpass has caused much criticism from the intellectuals of the society because of the way it is designed and many articles in Pakistan leading newspapers have written articles reflecting upon its turn offs.
[edit] Places of Worship
The freedom of religious practices of different sects in Karachi could be seen by the fact that one the main Shone Circle Road is the Aga Khani Jamat Khana.
[edit] Main areas of Clifton
- G.O.R.
- Frere Town
- Tikri Colony
- Railway Quarters
- Kehkashan
- Clifton Block 5
- Clifton Block 7
- Old Clifton
- Reti Lane
- Shah Rasool Colony
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
