Lal Muhammad of Karachi who was taken by a dove to the Great Wall of China

Lal Muhammad of Karachi

 Lal Mohammad had been fond of raising pigeons since his childhood but a lucky pigeon would land on his roof and he would reach the Great Wall because of it. It was not even in his imagination.

This was on September 8, 1984, when the Rotary Club of Karachi hosted the 35th anniversary celebrations of the People's Republic of China, in which Chinese Consul General Wang Wersan released 35 pigeons.
One of the pigeons had a token tied to its pigeon's leg that read, "Anyone who catches this 'lucky pigeon' in 35 hours will have to buy a flight from Karachi to Beijing and stay in China." All costs will be officially borne.

Lucky pigeon landing on the roof of Lal Muhammad

Lal Muhammad Baloch is a resident of Lyari's Safe Line. He has kept many kinds of pigeons on the roof, a hobby he has been pursuing since childhood. He is currently paralyzed and speaks in a low voice.

That day I saw a white alien dove on the roof, which was not mine. It sat up and flew away after a while.

With the help of their pet pigeons, they took the white dove down and caught it and locked it in a cage.

This is the dove of the club

Lal Mohammad used to drop the children off at school in the morning and then go to work. They were late that day and the children could not go to school. Lal Mohammad's wife said that she was very angry that day because breakfast was cold and the children were ready to go to school, but Lal Mohammad came down from the roof late.

When I got very angry, he (Lal Mohammad) said that he had caught a pigeon which took two and a half hours to take off from the air on the roof. He had a token in his hand with a white and red cloth and on it was written 'Pak-China Friendship Long Live, Rotary Club'. I read that it is a club pigeon and they tied it so that no pigeon catcher would catch it, but you have caught it. I threw this token on the ground.

Lal Mohammad was a mechanic in Karachi Port Trust from where he has now retired. He closed the pigeon that day and went to work in the morning.

Search for a reward token

Lal Mohammad was returning home as usual at around 3pm when a friend of his, Ramzan, told him that the Chinese ambassador had released a pigeon with a prize token.

Lal Mohammad told him that he had caught a pigeon from which a slip had come out. However, he did not show any interest in the token.

When Lal Mohammad asked about the token, he was told that he had thrown it on the ground. Soon the news of the prize token reached the relatives and everyone gathered at Lal Muhammad's house and started searching for the token.

Lalifa's wife Hanifa Lal Muhammad says, "I said, 'Be careful not to move anything in my house, keep it where it is, go to hell.

While everyone was searching, I put my hand on the top of the cupboard and the token came out from under the newspaper which I later found out that my daughter had picked it up from the ground and put it on the top of the cupboard.

Jang Pic

Rotary Club Search

Lal Mohammad took Ramadan with him and continued to search for Rotary clubs in the President's area. According to Hanifa (Lal Mohammad's wife) they could not find anyone. At one place they met an old man who said that 36 hours were to pass and time was running out. The elder advised them to go to Jang Press.
The two men, along with a pigeon, arrived at Jang Press and were told that they had received a prize pigeon. He made a picture which was published in English, Urdu and Sindhi language newspapers the next day and was also known to the embassy.

Hanifa says that the next day, several hundred policemen arrived around her house. "Neighbors are worried that Lalu goes to work from home and comes straight home from there. What happened?" Then it turned out that the prize token came out.

Understand that you have reached China

People from the Chinese embassy also came to Lal Mohammad's house after which they were invited to the embassy for a meeting. Two days later, he arrived at the Chinese embassy, where Consul General Wang met with Lal Muhammad.

According to the report of the meeting, the ambassador instructed him to contact the embassy for a visit to China and at the same time said, "Understand that you have reached China."

Lal Mohammad was worried that he would go to China, but what about the expenses?

Bari Jilani, the then Municipal Councilor of the Karachi Municipal Corporation, announced his support for Lal Mohammad and also issued a statement, a copy of which is still in Lal Mohammad's possession.

In the statement, Bari Jilani writes that due to Lal Mohammad's financial weakness, his visit to China is in danger of being delayed. He may miss the opportunity, so he wants to be presented by the people of his area, not just Zad Rah and a full national dress of Pakistan, so that he can represent the country with dignity.

The Rotary Club held a reception in honor of Lal Muhammad at a local hotel, in which he was given a check and his passport was stamped with a red Chinese visa.

China Departure and Tourism

Lal Muhammad arrived in Beijing on an official visit, where he visited state radio and held meetings. He was also provided with a Chinese translator. Lal Mohammad's stroke has now weakened his memory.

He says he visited Mao Zedong's monument, the Great Wall of China, a museum. Thus, after a week-long official visit, he returned to Pakistan with many memories.

They do not have pictures of the tour available, only a few brochures that introduce the port and the museum. Hanifa Lal Mohammad said the photos were taken by the Chinese embassy and that they would keep them safe.

Lal Mohammad says that in China he mostly traveled by train and ate only what he could get, nothing different. This is the only trip he has ever made in his life.

China promised

Hanifa Lal Mohammad claims that the Chinese ambassador had asked her what she wanted. So they said let them build a house. According to his ambassador, he had promised to take charge of the children's education and later employment. However, the Chinese embassy does not confirm this claim.

Lal Mohammad, who lives in obscurity in Lyari's Safe Street, has nine children. He built his house with retirement money, but now he is living in poverty and his family is waiting for another lucky pigeon.