PROGRAMME February 14, 2012 – Tuesday 5:45 pm Arrival of flight – Meet at the airport 8.30 pm – 10.00 pm Dinner at Pakistani Restaurant, Sheraton Karachi Hotel (hosted by Mr. Kenji Yoshida, President, APAA) February 15, 2012 – Wednesday 9.00 am Leave from the hotel 9.15am – 10.00 am Visit the Patent Office 10.30 am – 11.15 am Visit the Trade Marks Registry 11.30 am – 12.15 pm Visit the Expo Centre 12.45 pm – 3.30 pm Lunch at Karachi Boat Club 3.45 pm – 4.15 pm Visit Sheraton Karachi Hotel 6.15pm Leave from hotel 7.00 pm – 10.00pm Dinner at Napier’s Tavern, Port Grand February 16, 2012 – Thursday 9.00 am Leave from hotel 9.00 am – 9.30 am Visit Pearl Continental Hotel 9.45 am – 10.15 am Visit Karachi Marriot Hotel 10.25 am – 11.15 am Visit Quaid-e-Azam’s Museum 11.30 am – 12.30 pm Visit Mohatta Palace 1.00 pm – 3.00 pm Lunch at Arizona Grill, DHA Golf Club 3.00 pm – 3.30 pm Visit Convention Hall, DHA Golf Club 4.00 pm – 5.00 pm Shopping 6.45 pm Leave hotel 7.00 pm – 9.00 pm Dinner at Karachi Club (Annexe) February 17, 2012 – Friday 9.15 am Leave hotel for airport INTRODUCTION OF THE TWO DISTINGUISHED GUESTS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RETIRED JUSTICE SAEEDUZZAMAN SIDDIQUI Justice (Retired) Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui is a Pakistani Jurist and legislator. He joined the Bar (February 1961); elected Joint Secretary, Karachi High Court Bar Association (1967); elected Member of Managing Committee of Karachi High Court Bar Association (1968– 69); elevated as Judge of Sindh High Court on 05-05-1980. On 05-11-1990 he was appointed as Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court. He was appointed as Judge, Supreme Court of Pakistan on 23-05-1992. Later he was appointed as Chief Justice of Pakistan w.e.f. 01-07-1999. He was the Chief Justice of Pakistan when 1999 military coup d'état was staged by then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and Chief of Army Staff General Pervez Musharraf. He defied the request to take a new oath under the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) and therefore he was forced to step down. He is presently a member of the Board of Karachi Centre for Dispute Resolution. RETIRED JUSTICE SALEEM AKHTAR Justice (Retired) Saleem Akhtar is the honarary Director General of Sindh Judicial Academy, a dynamic personality, a person with a vision and having skills and commitment to achieve that vision. Ever since he took the charge of Academy he constantly and consistently drives forward towards making this Academy a center of excellence. He has created a few posts and inducted individuals to make the workforce of the Academy more efficient. HISTORY ABOUT MOHATTA PALACE For ancient mariners, the delta of the Indus served as an important geographical landmark. Karachi continued as an entry-port for trade along both land and sea routes for several centuries, until the British began to expand their colonial administration under the aegis of the East India Company. Recognizing the commercial and strategic importance of Karachi as a means of access to the entire north western flank of the sub- continent and beyond it, to Russia, they annexed Sindh in 1843. The presence and authority of the British were reflected in the architecture they adopted for army cantonments, municipal buildings, churches and formal residences in Karachi. The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw new styles of architecture in the sub-continent that were a fusion of European, Victorian, Gothic and Mughal elements suited to local forms and materials. Karachi rose to prominence at an astonishingly rapid pace, attracting people from the north west, the Iranian plateau, Turkey and Central Asia and from the south-east, especially Kutch, Bombay and Rajasthan. In 1927, Shiv Rattan Mohatta, a successful Marwari entrepreneur, commissioned a palatial house in the affluent seaside neighbourhood of Clifton. Mohatta had made his fortune as a ship chandler and trader. The architect commissioned for his palace, Agha Ahmed Hussain, was one of the first Muslim architects of India and had come from Jaipur to take up an assignment as chief surveyor for the Karachi Municipality. Agha Hussain Ahmed designed a number of buildings in Karachi but Mohatta Palace was to prove the ‘coup de maitre’ of his professional career. Working in a Mughal revival style with a combination of locally available yellow Gizri and pink stone from Jodhpur, he sought to recreate the Anglo Mughal palaces of the Rajput princes. At Partition in 1947, Mohatta Palace was acquired by the newly established Government of Pakistan to house its Ministry of Foreign Affairs. When the Foreign Office moved to Islamabad in 1964, the palace was given to Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah. After her demise in 1964, her sister Shireen Bai lived here until her death in 1980. The property then went into litigation and remained sealed until 1995, when it was formally purchased by the Government of Sindh in conjunction with the Federal Government, for a sum of Rupees six million. It was agreed that the monument would house a museum that would foster awareness and appreciation of the cultural heritage of Pakistan and of the region. An autonomous Board of Trustees was sent up to oversee the restoration and adaptive use of the monument. The first two phases of the restoration programme were successfully completed in August 1999 and the Museum opened its doors to the public on 15th September 1999. Since then it has held twelve major exhibitions displaying artefacts that had never been seen before; these thematic displays were culled from both public and private collections. The Museum has grown from three galleries in 1999 to forty four in 2005. The Mohatta Palace Museum is a source of pride for the citizens of Karachi as it aspires to become a museum of international standing and a beacon of hope and commitment to the city. None of this would have been possible without the support of the Federal Government, the Government of Sindh and our key donors who share our vision for a symbol of a cultural renaissance in Karachi. HISTORY ABOUT THE QUAID-E-AZAM HOUSE AND MUSEUM The Quaid-e-Azam House and Museum, earlier known as the Flagstaff House, is located on the Fatima Jinnah Road in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, and like almost all other houses on the road, was originally owned by a Parsi business tycoon. Father of the Nation, Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, purchased the house on the eve of Independence and later Madar-i-Millat Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah lived for many years here. The building was designed by architect Moses Somake. This probably is Somake's first known building which on one hand is modest and, on the other charming. The bungalow, which was later designated as the Flagstaff House because of the residence of the General Officer Commanding, is situated at the most exclusive area of the Staff Lines. It is surprising that an architect little known at that time was asked to design this building. The house was probably built in 1890. Somake had a habit of signing his buildings by inscribing his name in an obscure place that could be found with little effort. In the case of the Flagstaff House, it is etched on an inner face of the porch. Somake's work on the Flagstaff House was confined to the main double storey bungalow, while the annex was added to the premises at a later date. Somake lavished his attention on the façade facing the Bonus Road, which was the main thoroughfare at the time, probably due to a tight budget. The frontage has a symmetrical arrangement, with two wings flanking the central porch that carries the projecting part of the verandah. Simple arcading, carved pilasters and sloping roofs using red clay tiles are the architectural ingredients of this attractive bungalow. An unusual element is the introduction of semi-circular balconies, which also appear in the City Courts Building built at a later date. Finely chiseled and carved features embellish the front façade, while the rest of the building is in a hammer- dressed masonry. Quaid-i-Azam visited the Flagstaff House in 1943, liked it and showed interest in acquiring it. Although owned by a Parsi business magnate Sohrab Kavasji, it had been requisitioned as the residence of General Hind, GOC. The deed of purchase in the name of "Mr. Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Barrister-at-Law, Bombay" was registered in March 1944. After the partition, the bungalow was furnished with the belongings and furnishings of the Quaid that had been brought from his Delhi and Bombay residences, and was kept in readiness, to be occupied by him, possibly after his retirement. After the death of the Father of the Nation in 1948, Fatima Jinnah lived in the house from 1948 to 1964. Due to prime location several commercial organisations were interested in acquiring the property not for conservation but for demolition and constructing high buildings. Besides a number of public sector companies also tried to acquire the premises to erect a new building thereon. The bungalow lay neglected till 1985 when, as a result of the pleas by the Heritage Foundation, it was acquired by the Government of Pakistan; restored and declared a national monument the Quaid-i-Azam House Museum. It now houses furniture, relics, and other items of the Father of the Nation. PORT GRAND Port Grand is the finest development to-date that befits the city of Karachi-a city with a rich heritage and for long known as the “City of Lights”.