LAHORE, May 18: Pakistan’s Punjab Government has approved a plan to restore the names of several streets and roads in Lahore, aiming to revive the city’s pre-Partition heritage, an official said on Monday.
Several historic streets, alleys and roads in Lahore were renamed over the past decades, replacing British-era and Hindu-associated names with those of Islamic, Pakistani or local figures.
“The Punjab Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, a few days ago had approved a plan to restore the original and historical names of various streets and roads in Lahore and its neighbourhood,” a Punjab government official told PTI.
The decision has been taken to revive the cultural identity and heritage of this historical city, he said.
He further said, this initiative is led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is also the head of the Lahore Heritage Areas Revival project. His proposal got a cabinet approval last week.
Historic streets and roads in Lahore that were renamed in the past by successive governments include Queen’s Road, Jail Road, Davies Road, Lawrence Road, Empress Road, Krishan Nagar, Santnagar, Dharampura, Brandreth Road, Ram Gali, Tempbell Street, Laxmi Chowk, Jain Mandir Road, Kumharpura, Mohan Lal Bazaar, Sundar Das Road, Bhagwan Pura, Shanti Nagar and Outfall Road.
Sharif has also proposed the restoration of three cricket grounds and a traditional ‘akhara’ (wrestling arena) at Minto Park (Greater Iqbal Park) – which is being widely perceived as a damage control strategy.
His brother, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, during his tenure as the chief minister of Punjab in 2015, faced heavy criticism for demolishing three historical cricket grounds, areas under cricket clubs and a wrestling arena under an urban development programme.
Several cricketers, like former Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq, were trained in these cricket clubs in Minto Park.
Before the Partition, Indian cricketer Lala Amarnath also went for training in these clubs. When Amarnath visited Lahore with the Indian cricket team in 1978, he went to Minto Park and spent time with the players of Crescent Cricket Club, for which he used to play till the Partition happened.
The demolished wrestling arena in Minto Park once witnessed bouts by veterans such as Goonga Pehalwan, Imam Bakhsh and Gama Pehalwan.
Before Partition, Hindus would celebrate the festival of Dussehra in Minto Park. (PTI)
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