In the name of development: The Baloch library in Karachi on the brink of demolition

At a short distance from the Malir district and sessions court, if you make a left turn off the Quaidabad flyover, a bumpy road hidden by thorny bushes leads you to a small building: the Sayad Hashmi Reference Library — a haven of Baloch literature and culture.

Comprising two rooms and a hall, the kitabjah is spread across merely 277.77 square yards. It is located in the middle of the Dehkhan Garden, surrounded by fruit trees and resistant olive plants — a stark contrast to the everyday noise of Karachi.