Qualla: Teen Talwar

Teen Talwar: Introduction

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Bilalhassan88, CC BY-SA 3.0. The three swords were supposed to be black, green, and red -- the electoral colors of the Pakistan Peoples Party. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto commissioned the monument in 1973 as part of a beautification scheme for Clifton, and the sword was the PPP's electoral symbol. But somewhere between political vision and architectural reality, the concept shifted. Zoroastrian architect Minu Mistri designed the final monument in white marble instead, inscribing each blade with one of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah's three creeds: Unity, Faith, and Discipline. A party symbol became a national one.

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Image: Bilalhassan88 | CC BY-SA 3.0

Teen Talwar: A Monument That Outgrew Its Politics

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit V Malik from New Delhi & Pune, India, CC BY-SA 2.0. Bhutto had specific reasons for placing the monument at the intersection of Chartered Accountants Avenue, Bath Island Road, and Khayaban-e-Iqbal Road in Clifton. This was one of Karachi's most visible intersections, a junction that thousands of people passed through daily. The th...

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Image: V Malik from New Delhi & Pune, India | CC BY-SA 2.0

Teen Talwar: Marooned in Traffic

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit A.Savin, FAL. The grassy roundabout that once gave Teen Talwar a dignified setting has been whittled down to a small asphalt island. Traffic signals replaced the original roundabout, but the remaining circular patch of road stubbornly causes congestion. A 2008 restoration cleaned up the monume...

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Image: A.Savin | FAL

Teen Talwar: Three Blades, One City

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Jiyebhutto at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0. Despite the traffic and the flyers, Teen Talwar endures as one of Karachi's most recognizable landmarks. The monument functions as a navigational reference point -- 'near Teen Talwar' is a shorthand that every Karachiite understands. The three white marble swords catch the light ...

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Image: Jiyebhutto at English Wikipedia | CC BY 3.0