Facing backlash from “extremists” and critics on social media, the provincial government of Pakistan’s Punjab has deferred its decision to restore several pre-Partition Hindu and British-era names of roads and localities in its capital, Lahore, according to reports. The Punjab government led by Maryam Nawaz had in March proposed restoring several Lahore landmarks to their older names.
The Lahore Heritage Areas Revival (LHAR), chaired by former Pakistan PM and PML(N) chief Nawaz Sharif and backed by Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz, on March 16, approved the proposal to restore the historical names of several roads, bazaars, and neighbourhoods in Lahore. The proposal was part of the larger Lahore Authority for Heritage Revival (LAHR), a multi-billion-rupee project aimed at conserving the city’s architectural and cultural legacy, reported news agency PTI.
The renaming project was cleared by the Maryam Nawaz-led Punjab Cabinet in May.
However, faced with the opposition of extremists and social media vloggers for reverting to Hindu and Sikh-origin names, authorities in Lahore have made a U-turn on the move.
Lahore Deputy Commissioner Captain (Retired) Muhammad Ali Ijaz on Monday, replying to the queries of Pakistani daily, Dawn, told the newspaper that “no such decision has been taken as yet”.
An official source told the news agency PTI that criticism from “extremist elements” and vloggers on social media accusing the government of reviving “Hindu and Sikh” names pushed the administration onto the defensive.
“… Some extremist elements, including vloggers, took on CM Maryam on the decision by giving it a religious colour,” reported Dawn.
“As the critics gave the government’s decision a religious colour, the Maryam Nawaz administration has gone on the back foot and deferred the decision to avert backlash,” the source was quoted as saying by the news agency.
The March meeting between Sharif and Maryam approved a wide-ranging plan to restore several pre-Partition names across Lahore. Under the proposal, Fatima Jinnah Road was to revert to Queen’s Road, while Allama Iqbal Road would once again become Jail Road.
Similarly, Islampura, which was renamed from Krishan Nagar after Partition, was to regain its original name, while Maulana Zafar Ali Khan Chowk was proposed to be renamed back to Lakshmi Chowk.
Other planned reversions included restoring Mustafaabad to Dharampura, Hameed Nizami Road to Temple Street, and Babri Masjid Chowk to Jain Mandir Road.
Even after partition, many colonial and Hindu-era names continue to survive in public memory despite official changes of names by various governments in Pakistan.
Karachi-based Historian Yaqoob Khan Bangash told The Indian Express that Lahore never witnessed the kind of “ideological migration” seen in cities like Karachi after 1947. According to Bangash, many migrants to Lahore were working-class refugees who integrated into the city’s existing social fabric rather than reshaping its identity entirely. As a result, Lahore’s old elite retained pride in the city’s multicultural and multi-religious past.
Following criticism from extremists, the LHAR convened a consultation involving historians, scholars, architects, urban planners, and other prominent figures to discuss the proposal to restore the original names of roads, streets, and neighbourhoods across Lahore, according to news agency PTI.
According to an official statement issued after the meeting by LHAR, the forum examined the cultural, historical, and civic importance of reviving Lahore’s traditional nomenclature as part of a broader effort to preserve and promote the city’s heritage and identity.
The meeting reportedly ended with a broad consensus that Lahore’s historical identity represented an “invaluable legacy” that deserved preservation for future generations. Most participants were said to have supported restoring the city’s old street and locality names. However, the voice of “extremists” and social media vloggers seems to have prevailed and the proposed changes to the Hindu and Sikh names of Lahore landmarks, has been deferred for now.
Source: India Today
