Lahore to Restore Pre-Partition Street Names, Punjab Govt Approves Plan

Several historic streets and roads in Lahore are set to regain their pre-Partition names after Pakistan's Punjab government approved a plan to revive the city's pre-Partition heritage. Many of the historic names — often associated with Hindu and Jain communities — had been changed over the years to names linked to Islamic, Pakistani, or local historical figures. Queen’s Road was renamed Fatima Jinnah Road, Jail Road became Allama Iqbal Road, Davies Road turned into Sir Aga Khan Road, Lawrence Road became Bagh-i-Jinnah Road, and Empress Road was renamed Shahrah-i-Abdul Hameed bin Badees. Krishan Nagar became Islampura, Santnagar was changed to Sunnat Nagar, Dharampura to Mustafabad, Brandreth Road to Nishtar Road, and Temple Street to Hameed Nizami Road. Laxmi Chowk was renamed Maulana Zafar Ali Khan Chowk, Jain Mandir Road became Babri Masjid Chowk, Ram Gali turned into Rehman Gali, Kumharpura became Ghaziabad, and Outfall Road was renamed Jeelani Road. “The Punjab cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, approved a plan a few days ago to restore the original and historical names of various streets and roads in Lahore and its neighbourhood,” a Punjab government official told news agency PTI. The official said the decision was aimed at reviving the cultural identity and heritage of the historic city. He added that the initiative was led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who heads the Lahore Heritage Areas Revival Project. His proposal received cabinet approval last week. Sharif has also proposed restoring three cricket grounds and a traditional akhara (wrestling arena) at Minto Park, now known as Greater Iqbal Park — a move widely seen as an attempt at damage control. His brother, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, faced criticism during his tenure as Punjab chief minister in 2015 for demolishing three historic cricket grounds, club areas, and a wrestling arena as part of an urban development programme. Several cricketers, including former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, trained at these cricket clubs in Minto Park. Before Partition, Indian cricketer Lala Amarnath also trained there. When Amarnath visited Lahore with the Indian cricket team in 1978, he spent time with players of Crescent Cricket Club, for whom he had played before Partition. The demolished wrestling arena at Minto Park once hosted legendary wrestlers such as Gama Pehalwan, Goonga Pehalwan, and Imam Bakhsh. Before Partition, Hindus also celebrated the festival of Dussehra at Minto Park.