The India-Pakistan partition that took place about 80 years ago not only changed the borders but also changed the identity of the cities. Now efforts have started to remember the same history and return the old cultural heritage in the historical city of Lahore in Pakistan.
The Lahore administration has started the work of giving back the names of many roads, mohallas and squares of the city to their old Hindu, Sikh, Jain and British era names. After partition, names of many places in Pakistan were changed. The old names were replaced with names of Islamic, Pakistani leaders or local personalities. But now under the new initiative of Punjab Government, these places are being returned to their historical identity.
Name of which places changed?
In this context, Islampura area of Lahore has now again started being called ‘Krishna Nagar’. At the same time, the name of Babri Masjid Chowk has been changed again to ‘Jain Mandir Chowk’. Sunnat Nagar has again been named ‘Sant Nagar’ and Mustafabad as ‘Dharampura’.
Why did Pakistan take this decision?
The government of Pakistan’s Punjab province says that this step has been taken with the aim of bringing back to the fore the common cultural heritage of Lahore. The government believes that the city’s mixed identity had gradually blurred over the past several decades, which now needs to be preserved again.
Maryam Namaz Cabinet’s decision?
Talking to news agency PTI, a Punjab government official said that this decision was taken in the Punjab Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. In the meeting, a plan to restore the old names of many historical roads and places in Lahore and surrounding areas was approved.
During the last two months, new sign boards have been installed in different parts of the city, on which the old names have been rewritten. Till now a total of nine places have got their old identity back.
Lahore’s famous Laxmi Chowk, which was earlier named “Maulana Zafar Ali Khan Chowk”, is now being recognized by its old name again. Similarly, the old names of Davis Road, which was renamed as “Sir Aga Khan Road”, and Queens Road, which came to be known as “Fatima Jinnah Road”, are also being brought back into discussion.
The city’s historic Lawrence Gardens has also become a part of this change. This park was long known as ‘Bagh-e-Jinnah’, but now it is being returned to its old colonial name.
Although the names on government records and boards were changed, the old names never completely disappeared from the tongues of the people of Lahore. Even today, local shopkeepers, rickshaw pullers, tea sellers and common residents continue to call these areas by their old names in everyday conversation. For him Lakshmi Chowk always remained Lakshmi Chowk.
Former Director General of Walled City of Lahore and Secretary of Lahore (LAHR) Kamran Lashari said that even today people recognize these areas by their old names. He said that this campaign has been deliberately started to acknowledge the shared and multicultural heritage of Lahore.
Was Lahore the center of mixed culture?
According to Kamran Lashari, Lahore has not only been a city of Muslim history, but it has also been the center of culture of Hindu, Sikh, Christian and Parsi communities. He said, “Whether it is Hindu, Sikh, Christian or Parsi, all these are part of our common identity.”
Why change the name?
Before partition, the distance between Lahore and Amritsar was only about 50 kilometers. At that time, both the cities were considered the cultural identity of entire Punjab. But after the partition and violence of 1947, a large number of Hindu and Sikh families left Lahore and went to India, after which the social structure of the city changed significantly.
What other decisions did the Punjab government take?
Now the government is not limited to just changing the name, but the historical heritage of the city is also being renovated. There are more than 100 such historical buildings in Lahore which are officially recognized. These include sites associated with the Sikh Empire of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and old churches, which are being repaired and conserved. A painting of Princess Bamba Sutherland, the last descendant of the Sikh royal family, has also been restored in Lahore Fort.
Along with this, efforts are also being made to revive the sports and cultural history of Lahore. According to PTI report, former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has proposed to reopen Lahore’s old cricket grounds and the historic wrestling arena of Minto Park, now called Greater Iqbal Park.
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