KARACHI: Fatima Jinnah’s 1955 Cadillac Series 62 convertible and her 1965 Mercedes Benz 200 have been restored and displayed in a glass garage at the Quaid-e-Azam Residency in Karachi.
It is a story of apathy, which almost destroyed the cars, and passion, which brought the vehicles back to life.
Mohsin Ikram, founder and president of the Vintage and Classic Car Club of Pakistan and the man behind the restoration process, says it took him 19 years to convince the authorities to preserve the vehicles.
Ikram discovered Ms. Jinnah’s Cadillac in 1990 while hunting for old cars. “It was my hobby to look for old cars, and it was during one of my visits to the Mohatta Palace that I found this one. At that time, it was not in a bad condition.”
“Unfortunately, when the palace was handed over to the government of Sindh for preservation in 1995, the contractor, whoever he was, didn’t realize the value of these cars and just took them out of the garage and parked them outside — under the sky, exposing them to heat of the sun,” Ikram said.
As if this was not enough, he added, people started pulling things out of the cars, including their steering wheels, lights and mirrors.
In 2015, at Ikram’s persuasion, the provincial administration of Sindh showed the cars to some experts. Many of them claimed that these vehicles had reached a level where they could not be brought back to life.
“I thought these cars were very important and needed preservation,” he said. “Consequently, tenders were invited and I got the contract.”
Beginning in August 2016, it took a year and a half to bring the cars back to life. “We drove these cars to Quaid-e-Azam House on main Shahrah-e-Faisal,” he said.
He said that the contract amounted to 22.9 million Pakistani rupees ($0.19 million), much of which went back to the government since the tender was subject to heavy taxation.
“We also built a temporary garage at the National Museum on which a lot of money was spent. The glass garage has also been built by the same amount,” Ikram said.
“This Cadillac, which was designed by Harley J. Earl, chief designer of General Motors, was Fatima Jinnah’s favorite car. She had two of them. The Mercedes was mostly used by her driver or sister Shirin Jinnah. Fatima Jinnah might have used it as well, but we know that she was fond of this (Cadillac) car,” he said.
“The Cadillac had the same color we have used. In between, someone painted it with gold color as well,” said Ikram. “Our motive was to preserve the car and not make it look like a brand new vehicle. So we didn’t go for new Chinese and Korean parts but instead acquired original parts from the United States.”
He added that anything which could be restored was restored. “We have obtained only the missing parts.
Even in the US, we looked for those used original parts which were made for this particular model.”
For the Mercedes, Ikram said, the original parts were available in Pakistan.
Patres James, Ikram’s team member, said he enjoyed the preservation work.
“I always enjoy restoring old cars,” he said. “However, it was an honor to restore the ones that were used by
Fatima Jinnah, sister and close adviser of Pakistan’s founding father, Muhammad Ali Jinnah.”
Story of apathy and passion: Fatima Jinnah’s restored vintage cars displayed in Karachi
Story of apathy and passion: Fatima Jinnah’s restored vintage cars displayed in Karachi
- The cars were nearly ruined when a contractor, renovating an old palace, parked them under the sun, making the automobiles accessible to ordinary people who pulled out parts
- The vehicles have been displayed at the Quaid-e-Azam Residency
Free ambulance service in southern Pakistan delivers babies, and hope, onboard
- Nearly 100 babies successfully delivered inside Sindh Integrated Emergency and Health Services ambulances this year
- As per UN report, Pakistan was among four countries that accounted for nearly half of all maternal deaths worldwide in 2023
MAKLI, Sindh: Earlier this month close to the crack of dawn, a free ambulance service in southern Pakistan received a call that a 26-year-old woman from a remote village in Thatta had gone into labor without a health facility nearby for miles.
Within minutes of receiving the call, a Sindh Integrated Emergency and Health Services (SIEHS) ambulance staffed with health workers trained in emergency obstetric care sped off toward Shabeera Bib’s location in the Sindh province. The paramedics stabilized her and left with her for the nearest health center but realized soon that there just wasn’t enough time to reach the facility.
With her husband’s consent, Shabeera’s baby boy was delivered in the moving ambulance, one of 100 babies born in an SIEHS ambulance in this year alone.
“I was in a lot of pain when I was about to deliver, the baby’s condition was also at risk and my water had broken,” Bibi recalled, sitting on a charpoy back at home in her mud home in Hussain Notiar village.
In her arms, she held her newborn son Fayyaz.
“I am simply grateful to Allah for saving my baby and my life, and that my baby is still with me today.”
Pakistan’s Sindh province is the second most populated province of the country where 30 percent of women receive no prenatal care, 60 percent do not give birth in a health facility, and the maternal mortality ratio is thrice the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 3 target.
As per a recent United Nations report, Pakistan was among four countries that accounted for nearly half of all maternal deaths worldwide in 2023. The situation is dire in rural districts such as Thatta, where the health infrastructure is shoddy and few skilled birth attendants are available.
Set up in 2021, SIEHS, which runs as a public-private partnership, wants to fill the gap, with its ambulances, called ‘HOPE,’ providing free and round-the-clock assistance to people in Sindh though the 1122 helpline.
“Our job is to respond to emergencies,” Farheen Haider, an emergency Mmedical technician (EMT) at SIEHS, told Arab News. “When it’s a delivery case, we respond immediately. If the situation is more critical, we try to manage the patient on the way.”
Since its establishment, SIEHS has delivered 400 babies in ambulances across Sindh, with the mothers surviving in all cases, Haider added.
Shabeera’s was one such case in which paramedics worked in the confined space of the ambulance, performing the delivery and administering immediate postnatal care, including carrying out an APGAR scoring to gauge the health of the baby, as well as cleaning the mother and baby and cutting the umbilical cord.
The baby’s grandmother, Haseena Bibi, recalled the ordeal the woman went through that day.
“We are very poor and we couldn’t reach the hospital … we were very worried and then the girl [Shabeera] said that she couldn’t bear it anymore,” Haseena said.
She said the ambulance arrived quickly and Shabeera gave birth on the way.
Around 600 HOPE ambulances are operating in various districts of Sindh, Wazeer Ahmed, SIEHS regional manager told Arab News.
One of the main objectives of the service, he explained, was to move expecting women to hospitals:
“But if there are complications or the baby is about to be delivered, we take permission from the parents or the husband and proceed with the delivery inside the ambulance.”
Pakistan says Saudi Arabia has granted additional 10,000 slots for private Hajj scheme
- Nearly 90,000 Pakistanis are expected to perform Hajj pilgrimage under government scheme
- Around 23,620 Pakistani were to perform Hajj through private scheme before new slots added
ISLAMABAD: Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousaf said on Monday Saudi Arabia had granted Pakistan an additional 10,000 slots for Hajj pilgrims traveling under the private scheme.
The annual Islamic pilgrimage is expected to take place this year in June. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the Hajj Agreement 2025 in January, under which Pakistan was given a quota of 179,210 for the pilgrimage to be divided equally between government and private schemes.
Nearly 90,000 Pakistanis are expected to travel to Saudi Arabia under the government scheme this year and 23,620 Pakistani were to perform Hajj through private tour operators, which means that over 60,000 slots from the total quota had remained unfilled.
“We have been allowed 10,000 more in the quota, this is not government but private quota,” Yousaf told reporters.
The development has not yet been confirmed by Saudi authorities.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has constituted a three-member inquiry committee to probe why Pakistan had failed to use the full 179,210 quota for Hajj 2025.
Hajj flight operations will begin from Apr. 29 with the first flight departing from Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore.
While a precise number for Hajj 2025 is difficult to determine in advance, projections suggest it will be a record-breaking year, with over 2.5 million pilgrims expected.
Confident Peshawar Zalmi face Karachi Kings in PSL X clash tonight
- Zalmi last week defeated Multan Sultans by a record-breaking 120 runs
- Islamabad United beat Karachi Kings by six wickets on Sunday night
ISLAMABAD: A confident Peshawar Zalmi squad, led by skipper Babar Azam, will lock horns with Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) X clash in the southern port city of Karachi tonight.
Zalmi will head into the match with their heads high after registering a record 120-run win over former champions Multan Sultans last week. The “Yellow Storm,” courtesy of impressive contributions from Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Hussain Talat, Abdul Samad and a fiery spell from young pacer Ali Raza, beat Multan to register their first win of this year’s PSL.
Karachi Kings are placed at the number three spot in the PSL points table. They have had a mixed tournament so far, winning two matches and losing two so far. The Kings had a horrible outing on Sunday, losing their PSL fixture to table-toppers Islamabad United who beat them by six wickets after scoring a modest 128/7 from their 20 overs.
“From the capital to the City of Lights, Zalmi on the move,” the franchise wrote on Instagram, showing a video of skipper Azam arriving in Karachi with his players.
Zalmi are placed at number five on the PSL points table, with only two points under their belt in the tournament so far. The Yellow Storm lost their opening two matches before registering a record win over Multan.
Former Pakistan captain Azam and explosive hitter Saim Ayub are expected to open for the squad while in Cadmore, Mohammad Haris, Samad and Hussain Talat, Zalmi have plenty of batting firepower to dismantle any bowling line-up.
Spinner Arif Yaqoob and Raza were instrumental in Peshawar’s win over Multan last week, returning figures of 3/20 and 4/21 from their four overs respectively.
The match is scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. Pakistan Standard Time.
Pakistan PM offers condolences to Christian community at Pope Francis’ death
- Dead at 88, Pope Francis was the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church
- PM Shehbaz Sharif praises Pope Francis for demanding Gaza ceasefire during Easter address
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered his condolences to the Christian community on Monday over the passing of Pope Francis, describing him as a strong advocate of interfaith harmony and peace.
The Vatican announced Francis’ death in a video statement on Monday. The first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, his death ended an often-turbulent reign marked by division and tension as he sought to overhaul the hidebound institution.
The pope was 88 and had survived a serious bout of double pneumonia.
“The passing of Pope Francis is an irreparable loss for the entire world, especially the Christian community,” Sharif was quoted as saying by his office.
“On behalf of the government of Pakistan and the people of Pakistan, I extend heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the Vatican City, the global Christian community and all his admirers around the world.”
Pope Francis called for a ceasefire in Gaza during his brief appearance before thousands of Catholic pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Vatican’s open-air Easter Sunday mass.
Sharif praised Francis for calling for the cessation of hostilities in Gaza, saying it was reflective of his “deeply humane” character.
“Under his leadership, the Catholic Church spread the message of love, tolerance, and mutual respect across the world,” he said.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected pope on Mar. 13, 2013, surprising many church watchers who had seen the Argentine cleric, known for his concern for the poor, as an outsider.
He sought to project simplicity into the grand role and never took possession of the ornate papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace used by his predecessors, saying he preferred to live in a community setting for his “psychological health.”
He inherited a church under attack over a child sex abuse scandal and torn by infighting in the Vatican bureaucracy, and was elected with a clear mandate to restore order.
But as his papacy progressed, he faced fierce criticism from conservatives, who accused him of trashing cherished traditions. He also drew the ire of progressives, who felt he should have done much more to reshape the 2,000-year-old church.
While he struggled with internal dissent, Francis became a global superstar, drawing huge crowds on his many foreign travels as he tirelessly promoted interfaith dialogue and peace, taking the side of the marginalized, such as migrants.
With additional input from Reuters
Over 151,000 Pakistani workers went to Gulf countries in first three months of 2025
- Ministry of overseas Pakistanis and human resources sent around 172,144 workers abroad in first three months of 2025
- Saudi Arabia, UAE and other Gulf countries have always remained key destinations for Pakistan’s skilled, unskilled workers
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan sent 151,120 skilled laborers to Gulf countries in the first three months of 2025, state-run media reported on Monday, with Saudi Arabia topping the list of countries where the most number of Pakistani workers went.
A significant number of Pakistanis seek employment opportunities abroad for a better standard of living as the country grapples with macroeconomic challenges. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other Gulf countries are key destinations for Pakistan’s skilled and unskilled workers, whose remittances are vital for the cash-strapped country.
“The report stated that the highest number of 121,970 Pakistanis went to Saudi Arabia, while 6,891 people went to the UAE, 8,331 to Oman, 12,989 to Qatar and 939 to Bahrain,” the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said.
“Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment, an attached department of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development had sent around 172,144 Pakistani workers abroad to different countries in the first three months of this year.”
The report said of the Pakistani workers that went abroad, 38,274 were drivers, 3,474 technicians, 2,130 electricians, 1,859 masons, 1,689 cooks, 1,479 engineers, 1,058 welders, 849 doctors, 436 teachers and 390 were nurses.
The report highlighted that 1,454 workers also went to the United Kingdom, 870 to Turkiye, 815 to Greece, 775 to Malaysia, 592 to China, 350 to Azerbaijan, 264 to Germany, 257 to the United States, 109 to Italy and 108 to Japan in the same time period.
In 2024, the Overseas Pakistanis Ministry reported that 727,381 skilled laborers were sent to work in Middle Eastern and European countries. A senior Pakistani official said in February that the government was working to bridge the skills gap and enhance the global competitiveness of Pakistani workers, particularly in the Middle Eastern job market.
In January, Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Chaudhry Salik Hussain said Islamabad was focused on increasing the number of skilled workers heading to Saudi Arabia, highlighting the importance of an innovative project management and a well-trained labor force.
Pakistan sends approximately one million skilled workers abroad each year to help reduce unemployment and boost foreign exchange reserves through remittances.
Pakistan also received a record-high $4.1 billion in remittances in March 2025, a positive sign for the government’s efforts to revive an economy it expects to grow by three percent this year, with Saudi Arabia once again leading as the top contributor.
