Babri Masjid is a Jain Mandir Chowk, Jafar instead of Lakshmi! A ‘Hindu Touch’ in the Names of a Bunch of Places in Pakistan

Babri Masjid Chowk is Jain Mandir Chowk, Islampur is Krishnanagar Chowk. Or, Sunnat Nagar was renamed Sant Nagar. This incident is not in Uttar Pradesh or any BJP-ruled state, but in India’s neighboring Muslim-ruled Pakistan. The government has decided to bring back the old names of several places in the once Hindu-dominated Lahore. Naturally, this incident has created a commotion in Pakbhum.

Lahore belongs to the Punjab province of Pakistan. The region was Hindu dominated before partition. As a result, almost all places here had a touch of Hinduism in their names. However, in Jinnah’s new country, the names were changed one by one. However, after 78 years of independence, the Punjab government of Pakistan took a novel initiative to bring back the historical heritage of Lahore. It is known that Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz is behind this initiative to bring back the old name of Lahore.

Before partition, Lahore was predominantly Hindu. Almost all places here had a touch of Hinduism in their names. However, in Jinnah’s new country, the names were changed one by one.

Maryam called a meeting last March. There he decided to preserve the old history of Lahore. A novel initiative taken for that purpose. Through him, the past Hindu names of several places in Punjab province were brought back. Among which the most names were changed in many places and streets of Lahore.

Among the places that have been renamed, Islampur has been renamed as Krishnanagar, Sunnatnagar as Santanagar, Maulana Zafar Chowk as Lakshmi Chowk, Babri Masjid Chowk as Jain Mandir Chowk, Mustafabad as Dharmapura. This is not the end, Sir Agha Khan Chowk has been renamed as Davis Road, Allama Iqbal Road as Jail Road, Fatima Jinnah Road as Queen Road, Bagh-e-Jinna Road as Lawrence Road.

According to historians, many places in Lahore were renamed step by step after partition. However, the name was changed on a large scale after the destruction of the Babri Masjid. Virtually all Hindu places were renamed to Muslim names. The governments of Nawaz Sharif, Benazir Bhutto and Pervez Musharraf were behind this work. However, even if there is no strong reaction from the fundamentalists on the return of the old name, it is feared that the hardliners may be angry with this decision.