KARACHI: State Bank of Pakistan Governor Ashraf Wathra on Monday inaugurated the Heritage Meeting Rooms building at SBP Headquarters on II Chundrigar Road.
Members of theSindh Heritage Committee; Arif Hassan, Hameed Haroon, and Dr Kaleemullah Lashari, were also present.
The stone masonry building with gable-shape steel truss type roofing partially covered with Mangalore tiles and partially with asbestos sheets exists behind the SBP Museum and Art Gallery since pre-Partition. The covered area of this barrack shape building is about 6500 Sqft.
Addressing the gathering, the Governor SBP thanked the Sindh Heritage Committee for their valuable support in the restoration of this building and congratulated the SBP staff for completing the renovation work. ‘Preserving old buildings reminiscent of our past is a valuable service to the current and future generations of this country and SBP is proud in making its contribution,’ he remarked.
Keeping in view the location and historical background of the building, the SBP in October 2014 decided to rehabilitate and use it for an “appropriate purpose”. Out of various proposals, the proposal to developconference rooms/committee rooms was finalized. Haroon appreciated the services of the SBP governor in safeguarding the national heritage of the country as this is the second heritage building which has been conserved by the bank.
