Teen Talwar

The Teen Talwar (Three Swords) monument is located in Clifton, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. The three swords represent: "Unity", "Faith", and "Discipline".

Karachi has many landmarks, but none stands out more in the popular imagination as Clifton's "Teen Talwar". It was commissioned by Pakistan's former President and Prime Minister, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. It consists of three white marble swords inscribed with Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah's creed: Unity, Faith and Discipline.

Background Story of Teen Talwar

Initially Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Approved this monument to depict Pakistan Peoples Party's Electoral Symbol - (SWORD). Their count of three was to colour them in PPP's flag colour (Black, Green, Red). Later the Idea was changed to leave it in white colour.

Designed by Architect Minoo Mistri and constructed during Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's period, it depicts Quaid-e-Azam's three pillars of strength: Unity, Faith & Discipline.

Current Status and Problematic Issues

Inexplicably, the monument has become a target for unscrupulous and misguided sentiments. In recent years, the white marble was further adorned with Arabic text that reads "Praise be to Allah" and "Glory to Allah," defacing its pristine surface and completely subverting the message of the original "Unity, Faith and Discipline" motto, which places equal weight on all three qualities. Some confused public official has also attempted to grow shrubs upon the monuments, perhaps for the purpose of decoration. Unfortunately, these additions are a blight to the monument's original aim and purpose.

Another major problem is the persistence of advertising notices, political banners and flyers that are continually being placed on the structures, as the monument is a highly visible place for traffic in the city.

Furthermore, the structure stands on a small roundabout in the middle of the road. This asphalt island is the remnant of a much larger, grassy roundabout that controlled traffic at the intersection of Chartered Accountants Road, Bath Island Road and main Abdullah Haroon Road. As the original roundabout has been replaced with traffic signals, the remaining circular island in the middle of the intersection serves no purpose, other than to cause traffic to bottleneck as it crosses.