KARACHI: Quaid-e-Azam Mazar Management Board (QMMB) has put forward a plan for establishment of ‘New Pakistan Park’ and a museum on 43 acres of land adjacent to Jinnah’s mausoleum, according to officials of Management Board.
According to officials, 28.11 acres of southern land had been set aside for Pakistan Park while a botanical garden would be set up over 11.35 acres of eastern land. They said that land on southern side had been earmarked for the establishment of Pakistan Museum.
The plan to establish a park had been formulated by Irfan Siddiqui, then advisor to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. Reportedly, the plan was proposed after undertaking an extensive study of sites at Miniaturk (Istanbul, Turkey), Mini Europe (Brussels, Belgium), Window of World (Shenzhen, China) and Madurodam (The Hague, Netherlands).
The QMMB officials said that a consultant company-Atif Nazeer Associates had already been handed over the plan for feasibility report, cost of the project and all allied matters including visiting sites for initiating the landmark project. The officials added that the federal minister for National History had already held discussions with alteration of the plan with QMMB officials and had asked them to submit their plan to his Ministry which would then forward it for the final approval of Central Development Working Party in Islamabad.
Highlighting salient features of the plan, QMMB officials informed that replicas and miniature models of 42 national importance sites of Pakistan situated in Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Azad Kashmir valley, Naran and Kaghan valleys, Swat, Gilgit Baltistan and sites of Northern areas would be installed in the New Pakistan Park. They said that these replicas and models would b displayed on a physical map of the country. They further said that miniature of historic sites and buildings in Sindh to be built on the map included Tharparkar, Sukkur Barrage, Ranikot Fort, Mohenjo-Daro, Makli graveyard, Shah Jahan Masjid Thatta, KPT Building, Mohatta Palace, Flag House Staff Mansion and Wazir Mansion in Karachi and Clock Tower in Jacobabad.
Similarly, models of Minar-e-Pakistan, Lahore Fort, Badshahi Masjid, Shalimar Gardens, Derawar Fort Bahawalpur, Clock Tower Faisalabad, Hiran Minar, Sheikhupura, Harappa Taxila, Rohtas Fort Jhelum, Islamabad Parliament House and Faisal Masjid would also be added.
Balochistan sites include Gwadar Port, Ormara and Sphinx Princess of Hope, Bolan Pass, Quetta Fort, Chagi and Quaid-e-Azam residency in Ziarat. Models of sites in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to be built include Khyber Pass, Islamia Galli, Abbottabad District, Nathia Gali Abbottabad, Takht-e-Bhai Mardan, Mughal Bridge Peshawar and Lake Saif-ul-Malook. Gilgit Baltistan, Northern area and AJK sites include K-2, Altit Fort, Baltit Fort, Khunjerab Pass and Sharda Fort in Azad Kashmir. Besides models of buildings and historical sites of minorities like Cathedral Church Lahore, Panja Sahib in Hasan Abdal and Katas Raj in Chakwal would also be built in the park.
The officials said that a fish aquarium would also be built on both sides of the Park and an underground subway would connect all facilities to the Mazar. In addition, dams, bridges, water works and barrages would also be highlighted at Park. Natural features, vegetation features, hard and soft landscape, national animal enclosures, historical roads, parks and sites of Karachi, Sialkot and other cities including landmark construction and sign of China Pakistan Economic Corridor would also be highlighted at the park through models and replicas.
The officials said that after the construction of New Pakistan Park, SRSC Clinic, Society for Rehabilitation Special Children and other public social welfare sites in the area would become a part of the park. Officials said that a ground floor curatorial block, outdoor exhibition and landscape area, orientation gallery, lifts, escalators and staircases, café, shops, cars parking, separate entrance exit points, curatorial block, toilets, ticket booth, loading bays, cargo lift, storage space, education block, banquet, multipurpose hall, observation deck and sky bridge would also be constructed.
