Historical Kanji Building suffers another blow as left side razed

KARACHI: The British-era Kanji Building at Pakistan Chowk, a declared heritage site since 1995, has suffered yet another blow as builders demolished its left side, continuing the systematic dismantling of the 157-year-old structure. 

The builders’ mafia in Karachi appears more relentless than Mahmud of Ghazni, targeting the Kanji Building more often than the historic conqueror raided the subcontinent. 

The latest attack occurred yesterday, when the mafia brought down the left side of the building. 

  The three-story structure, located off Outram Road at Pakistan Chowk, was declared a protected heritage site in 1995. An NOC from the government is required to make any changes to it. However, even this protected status has failed to shield it from the notorious builders mafia, notorious for demolishing old buildings in Karachi to construct new plazas. 

What remains of the Kanji Building today is merely a façade of the historic structure, as the mafia has been tearing it down bit by bit for years. 

In 2018, when the building was vacant, the mafia gutted its interior, leaving behind a hollow shell. Locals of the area only became aware of the incident when debris was seen being cleared from the site. 

The nearby residents then took to social media, sharing images of the demolition and debris removal. These posts caught the attention of the provincial archaeology department, which subsequently sealed the building and issued a warning of strict legal action against anyone trespassing or tampering with the site.

However, the damage was already done. The Kanji Building now consists of only its front façade, visible from the road. 

Activists have condemned the mafia’s tactics, urging authorities to at least save the façade, which is now vulnerable to collapse due to its decayed state and the repeated blows inflicted during the demolition of its interior. 

Heritage consultant Marvi Mazhar shared a recent image of Kanji Building on Instagram, stating: “This is unreal. Today, the developer completely demolished the building on the left. Now Kanji is standing from one side and absolutely vulnerable from inside and sideways. This looks like a set design.” 

She further criticized, “I absolutely hate it when people with previous powers or who are part of the culture mafia write a post about loss and defeat. They had the time to fix and be part of a radical movement. But they sit on positions to fix themselves on forever posts. You know who you all are.” 

Another voice of protest came from Deepak Perwani, who posted on X: “Apparently, this one’s up for demolition or what’s left of it. As we move forward, our identity dies. There are no stories to tell; no history to remember. Just ugly concrete jungle. That is Karachi.” 

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