Pakistan’s Punjab government has postponed its plan and appears to have taken a U-turn to restore the original historical names of roads and streets in Lahore after criticism from extremist groups over the revival of several pre-Partition Hindu and Sikh era names.The Lahore Heritage Areas Revival Committee had earlier approved the proposal during a meeting chaired by Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.The Punjab Chief Minister’s Office had officially announced the decision in a statement issued after the meeting held in March.However, the government now appears to have backed away from the move.“No such decision has been taken yet,” Lahore Deputy Commissioner Captain R Muhammad Ali Ijaz said, Dawn newspaper reported on Monday, despite an earlier announcement confirming approval to restore the original names.When reminded that Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz had already agreed to the proposal, Ejaz stressed that the matter was still “under discussion”.
Government backs down after religious backlash
Extremist elements and video bloggers on social media strongly criticized the government’s move to restore “Hindu and Sikh” names to the roads and streets of Lahore, PTI quoted an official as saying.“Since critics gave the government’s decision a religious hue, the Maryam Nawaz administration backed down and postponed the decision to avoid backlash,” said the official, who requested anonymity.
In the wake of the controversy, LAHR convened another meeting bringing together scholars, historians, architects, city planners and other experts to discuss the proposal and seek broader consensus.According to a statement issued by the committee, participants discussed the “cultural, historical and civic significance” of reviving Lahore’s traditional nomenclature as part of efforts to preserve the city’s heritage and identity.“The meeting ended with consensus that Lahore’s historical identity constitutes an invaluable legacy that deserves to be preserved in a thoughtful manner for future generations,” the statement said, adding that most participants supported the restoration of historical names.
Historical names are at the center of the debate
The proposal seeks to revive several names that existed before partition and were changed over decades by successive governments.Among the roads and localities proposed for restoration was Queen’s Road, which was renamed Fatima Jinnah Road. Jail Road, renamed Allama Iqbal Road; Lawrence Road, now Bagh Jinnah Road; And the Empress Road, currently famous by Abdel Hamid Ben Badis.Other areas renamed include Krishan Nagar, now Islampura; Santnagar was changed to Sunnat Nagar; Dharampura, renamed Mustafaabad; and Lakshmi Chowk, now called Maulana Zafar Ali Khan Chowk.The initiative aims to revive Lahore’s pre-Partition cultural identity and heritage. The move was reportedly led by Nawaz Sharif, who heads the Lahore Heritage Areas Revival Project.The former Pakistani prime minister also proposed the restoration of the historic cricket grounds and traditional wrestling arena at Minto Park, now known as Iqbal Grand Park, which once hosted legendary wrestlers like Jama Pehalwan and Inzamam-ul-Haq, who also trained at nearby cricket clubs.
