Lahore to bring back pre-1947 names

Lahore: Pakistan’s Punjab government has approved a plan to restore the original names of several streets and roads in Lahore to revive the city’s pre-Partition heritage and cultural identity.

The decision was approved at a Punjab Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz earlier this month, a Punjab government official said on Monday. “The cabinet approved a proposal to restore the historical names of various streets and roads in Lahore and adjoining areas,” the official said.

Over the decades, several roads and neighbourhoods in Lahore were renamed, replacing British-era and Hindu-associated names with those linked to Islamic, Pakistani or local figures. The roads and localities proposed for restoration in­clude Queen’s Road, Jail Road, Davies Road, Lawrence Road, Empress Road, Krishan Nag­ar, Santnagar, Dharam­pura, Brandreth Road, Ram Gali, Temple Street, Laxmi Chowk, Jain Mandir Road, Kumharpura, Mohan Lal Bazaar, Sundar Das Road, Bhagwan Pura, Shanti Nagar and Outfall Road.

Former PM Nawaz Sharif, who heads Lahore Herita­ge Areas Revival project, led the initiative. His proposal got cabinet nod last week.

Sharif has proposed restoring three cricket grounds and a traditional akhara at Minto Park, now known as Greater Iqbal Park. The move is being viewed by some observers as an attempt to address criticism over the demolition of sporting facilities during PM Shehbaz Sharif’s tenure as Punjab chief minister in 2015. Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq and Indian cricketer Lala Amarnath had trained at clubs located in Minto Park before Partition.