Karachi has many landmarks, but the Teen Talwar really stands-out. The three white marble swords symbolize (and are inscribed with the dogma of Pakistan's founder, Mohammad Ali Jinnah) Unity, Faith and Discipline. ("ittehad, yaqeen-e-muhkam, tanzeem.") This lovely tribute was commissioned by the former President & Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (Quaid-e-Awam). The abundance of white, good-quality marble in the city's vicinity has apparently encouraged its wide use for the creation of many monuments, lending a symbolic nature of grandeur & purity.
NOTE: If you're hoping for a picture of yourself standing in front of this monument, it's not possible: the 3 swords are located in the middle of a very busy roundabout (also known as Teen Talwar Intersection near St Andrew's Church). So clicking a few pictures from a distance whilst you're waiting in traffic is the best option.
ALSO, note that many beggars have made this busy roundabout their home and will incessantly knock at your car window.
To me it is questionable whether the hundreds of thousands of commuters, workers, delivery drivers & beggars passing-by here every day are still inspired by this declaration of patriotism; I'm sure it looks more impressive to an outsider like myself. This considered, does New York's Statue of Liberty and its values still mean as much to Americans as it does to awe-struck foreign travellers? Do we take our own history for granted? Food for thought...
