The Nishtar Park () (formerly known as Patel Park) is located at

Soldier Bazaar Soldier Bazar () is a bazaar and neighborhood in Karachi East district of Karachi, Pakistan. It was previously administered as part of Jamshed Town, which was disbanded in 2011. History Soldier Bazar was constructed in 1857 next to Mazar Rosh ...

Jamshed Town Jamshed Town () lies in the Karachi East District of Karachi, Pakistan. To the northwest is Liaquatabad Town across the Lyari River, while to the east is Gulshan Town and to the southeast is Korangi Town across the Malir River. Jamshed Town ...

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

History

Nishtar Park was originally called Patel Park, named after Congress leader

Vallabhbhai Patel Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel (; ''Vallabhbhāī Jhāverbhāī Paṭel''; 31 October 1875 – 15 December 1950), commonly known as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, was an Indian independence activist and statesman who served as the first Deputy Prime ...

. It was then renamed after Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar, one of the main leaders of

Pakistan Movement The Pakistan Movement was a religiopolitical and social movement that emerged in the early 20th century as part of a campaign that advocated the creation of an Islamic state in parts of what was then British Raj. It was rooted in the two-nation the ...

, in 1965. The biggest gathering of

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

Muslims also takes place in

Muharram Al-Muharram () is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year when warfare is banned. It precedes the month of Safar. The tenth of Muharram is known as Ashura, an important day of commemoration in ...

as well as most other religious and political gatherings. The park was used for political gatherings by several politicians. Some started their political careers from this park, like

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (5 January 1928 – 4 April 1979) was a Pakistani barrister and politician who served as the fourth president of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973 and later as the ninth Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan from 19 ...

, in January 1971 when he started his election campaign and delivered on 14 March 1971 a famous speech. During the largest gathering of

Muslims in

in the month of

prominent Shia scholars such as Allama

Rasheed Turabi Raza Hussain also known as Allama Rasheed Turabi (1908 – 1973) was an Islamic scholar, religious leader, public speaker, poet and philosopher. Early life and education Turabi was born on (9th Jamadi-us-Sani 1326), 9 July 1908 in Hyderaba ...

and Allama

Talib Jauhari Talib Jauhari (27 August 1929 – 21 June 2020) () was a Pakistani Islamic scholar, poet, historian and philosopher of the Shia Sect of Islam. He is widely renowned as the most prominent Shia scholar, and his sermons were broadcast on PTV (Pak ...

used to address the majlis for many years until their death. Nowadays, Allama

Syed Shehanshah Hussain Naqvi Allama Syed Shehanshah Hussain Naqvi () is a Pakistani Shia scholar. Education Syed Shehanshah Hussain Naqvi received his Islamic education from Qom, Iran. Unity of the Islamic world Syed Shehanshah Hussain Naqvi has underlined the need for the ...

addresses this great majlis. On 11 April 2006, at least 50 people were killed, and more than 100 injured, when a bomb exploded at Nishtar Park. (See also:

Nishtar Park bombing On 11 April 2006, a bombing at Nishtar Park in Karachi, Pakistan resulted in the deaths of at least 49 people and injured around a hundred others. At the time of the blast, a mawlid ceremony to mark the birthday of Muhammad organised by the Bar ...

). Formerly, it was home ground of Rangers Cricket Club and Jang Cricket Club.

References

Parks in Karachi Cricket grounds in Pakistan {{Karachi-geo-stub