The mausoleum of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah is going to be illuminated on December 17 with a new state-of-the-art chandelier, made of fine crystal and 8.3 kilograms of 24-karat gold.
President Mamnoon Hussain will inaugurate the newly-crafted chandelier today (Saturday), which is a gift by the Chinese government. The chandelier will replace the older one, also gifted by China in 1970.
Adviser to Prime Minister on National History and Literary Heritage Division Irfan Siddiqui, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar and Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong will attend the ceremony, wherein 40 Chinese engineers and experts will also join. The efforts for replacement of the old chandelier were initiated by PM’s Adviser Irfan Siddiqui after assuming charge as head of the newly created National History and Literary Heritage Division. The previous chandelier installed some 46 years back had lost its shine due to environmental pollution and corrosive atmosphere of the city.
The 23-metres-long new ceiling-mounted fixture weighs 1.2 ton and has decorative lights in four arrays. It has been completed at a cost of Rs 220 million. The use of 8.3 kilograms of 24-karat gold adds splendor to the mausoleum of the founder of Pakistan.
The Chinese government offered to undertake this project after an eight-member delegation headed by Yan Jianming, Counsellor, Economic and Commercial Office of China’s Consulate General in Karachi along with Miao Qisong, Vice General Engineer/Director, Research Department of Structure, Beijing Institute of Architectural Design visited Quaid’s mausoleum for the first time on November 12, 2013.
Overall, it took two months in dismantling of old chandelier, transportation of the new one from China to Pakistan and its installation during this October and November by 13 Chinese technicians.
The testing of the chandelier was completed after its installation by the Chinese technicians and a handing-over document was signed on December 8, 2016. The old chandelier has been installed at another location within the premises of mausoleum.
While, Pakistan and China have termed the installation of new chandelier for the mausoleum of Quaid-e-Azam as a “symbol of strong bond between the two countries”.
President Mamnoon Hussain in his message on the installation of the new chandelier, which he is going to inaugurate on Saturday, has expressed confidence that the symbolic significance of the chandelier would always remind the importance of Sino-Pak relationship. The president thanked the Chinese leadership and especially Ambassador Sun Weidong for the chandelier. Adviser to Prime Minister on National History and Literary Heritage Irfan Siddiqui in his message said the bond between Pakistan and China was unbreakable.
Irfan Siddiqi said he believed that the chandelier at the tomb would continue shedding light on the great bond between the two countries for generations to come.
Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong said the chandelier shows the utmost respect for Quaid-e-Azam by the Chinese people and the deep-rooted affection between two countries spanning more than half a century. He said the year 2016 marked the 140th anniversary of the birth of Quaid-e-Azam and 65th anniversary of China-Pakistan diplomatic relations.