The Governor's House ( ur, ; previously known as the

Government House Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and the remaining colonies of the British Empire. The name is also used in some other countries. Gover ...

, Governor-General's House and President's House) in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

is the

official residence An official residence is the House, residence of a head of state, head of government, governor, Clergy, religious leader, leaders of international organizations, or other senior figure. It may be the same place where they conduct their work-relate ...

of the

governor of Sindh The governor of Sindh is the appointed head of the province of Sindh, Pakistan. The office of the governor as the head of the province is largely a ceremonial position; the executive powers lie with the Chief Minister of Sindh, chief minister and t ...

. The current

Kamran Tessori Kamran Tessori (Urdu language, Urdu: کامران ٹیسوری) is a Pakistani politician and businessman, currently serving as the Governor of Sindh since 9 October 2022. Tessori is a member of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan party. ...

. It is located along the Aiwan-e-Sadar Road of Karachi.http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\10\11\story_11-10-2009_pg12_10 Daily Times: Aiwan-e-Sadar Road , Newly renovated Built in 1939, it is a historical building and has been the residence of several prominent figures, including the Commissioners and pre-independence British governors of Sindh, followed by the Governor-Generals of Pakistan, the President of Pakistan and then by the Governors of present-day Sindh province.

History

Old Government House

The Sindh Governor House is located on the original site of the now-demolished Government House, which was built in the year 1843 by Sir Charles Napier while Sindh was part of the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

. The Government House had been constructed for Napier's personal use. When Napier left in 1847, the house was bought by the Government of British India and used as an official residence by the Commissioners of Sindh up until 1936.

British Raj

The construction of the present Governor House building started in the year 1936 by renowned architect R.T. Russel and was completed in 1939, at a cost of 700,000

rupee Rupee is the common name for the currencies of India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Africa, B ...

s. The new building was built to replace the Government House, which had been in a state of disrepair and was no longer suitable for habitation. Sir Lancelot Graham, the first Governor of Sindh, laid the foundation stone of the building and started using it as his residence in 1939. After Graham, the succeeding governors of Sindh, Sir Hugh Dow (1941–1946) and Sir Francis Mudie (1946–1947), also lived in the building.

Post-independence

Following Pakistan's

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

in August 1947 and Karachi's designation as the country's

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

, the building became the residence of

Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (, ; born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 1876 – 11 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the ...

, the founder of Pakistan and its first

Governor-General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

. From that point onward, the building became known as the "Governor-General's House" and was used as an official residence by all Governor-Generals of Pakistan who succeeded Jinnah. Jinnah had continued to reside in the house until his death in September 1948. In 1956, the post of Governor-General was abolished and replaced by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.Iskandar Mirza Sahibzada Iskander Ali Mirza ( bn, ইস্কান্দার আলী মির্জা; ur, ; 13 November 1899 – 13 November 1969), , was a Pakistani Bengali general officer and civil servant who was the first President of Pakista ...

, the country's first elected president. The building was thereafter referred to as the "President's House." By the 1970s, Karachi was no longer the capital of Pakistan; the federal government was shifted to

Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital T ...

. With the dissolution of the

One Unit The One Unit Scheme ( ur, ; bn, এক ইউনিট ব্যবস্থা) was a geopolitical programme launched by the Government of Pakistan led by Prime Minister Muhammad Ali Bogra on 22 November 1954 and passed on 30 September 1955 ...

scheme and revival of provinces, Karachi was designated the capital city of Sindh. The house eventually became the residence of the Governor of Sindh and continues to be so as of present.

References

External links

Official website: Governor of Sindh

Governor House Karachi at Wikimapia
{{Karachi topics , state=autocollapse Buildings and structures in Karachi