The Mohatta Palace – Karachi

Birth of Pakistan is the first of a series of community outreach projects curated by CAP specifically for children. The exhibit takes viewers through the struggle from the Lahore Resolution of 1940 until the initial years of Pakistan’s sovereignty, highlighting the sacrifices made to achieve a homeland in 1947 to the early days of the new nation of Pakistan, as it struggled to stand on its feet.

The exhibit opened at the Mohatta Palace Museum, Karachi in March 2010, and presented an exclusive ‘train journey’ from India to Pakistan, reconstructing replicas of government offices and refugee camps. Children had a chance to explore the contents of a ‘sundook‘ or trunk brought to Pakistan by a migrant, photographs and film clips of significant events of Pakistan’s early history. 

Visitors were given their copies of the first Pakistani Passport and were educated about the announcement of Independence to the masses. They also received a glimpse of the first Pakistani flag and heard the National Anthem. Over the course of seven months, more than 10,000 students from 150 schools and 4000 members of the public viewed the exhibit.