Pak restores pre-Partition names of Lahore streets: Islampura is now Krishan Nagar

Nearly eight decades after Partition carved the subcontinent apart, Lahore is now putting Hindu, Sikh, Jain and colonial-era names back on its streets, alleys and roads. Many of these names had earlier been renamed after Islamic, Pakistani or local figures.

Pakistan’s cultural capital is beginning to wear pieces of its pre-Partition identity again. Islampura is once again Krishan Nagar. Babri Masjid Chowk has reverted to Jain Mandir Chowk. Sunnat Nagar is now Sant Nagar. Mustafaabad has become Dharampura again, according to several reports.

The renaming is part of Pakistan's Punjab government's effort to bring back Lahore's pre-Partition heritage that many believe were slowly erased over the decades. "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 news agency PTI.

The new signboards bearing the older names have already appeared across parts of Lahore over the past two months. Nine locations have officially reverted to their earlier identities. Among them are Lakshmi Chowk, once renamed Maulana Zafar Ali Khan Chowk; Davis Road, which had become Sir Aga Khan Road; and Queens Road, which was known as Fatima Jinnah Road. Lahore’s famous Lawrence Gardens is also reclaiming its older colonial association after years as Bagh-e-Jinnah, according to The Print.

For Lahoris, however, these names never disappeared.

"The people still call them by the old names," Kamran Lashari, former director-general of the Walled City of Lahore and secretary of LAHR, told The Print.

He said the restoration effort deliberately embraces Lahore’s layered identity -- Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Christian and colonial at the same time.

"Whether it is Christian, Sikh, Hindu or Parsi, it doesn’t matter," he said.

LAHORE RESTORES ECHOES OF PRE-PARTITION PUNJAB

Lahore has long lived in the memory of the subcontinent in a way few cities have. Barely 50 kilometres from Amritsar, it was once a common cultural home for Punjabis across faiths and communities. Its crowded bazaars, old colleges, gardens, akharas, temples, gurdwaras and shrines belonged to a Punjab that existed before Partition tore the region into two countries in 1947.

Partition changed Lahore forever. Majority of Hindu and Sikh families fled or were forced out during the violence of 1947. In the decades that followed, many streets, localities and landmarks once linked to Hindu, Sikh or British history were gradually renamed with Islamic or nationalist identities.

Krishan Nagar became Islampura. Dharampura became Mustafaabad. Jain Mandir Road turned into Babri Masjid Chowk.

Yet old Lahore resisted complete erasure.

But on Lahore’s streets, the old names never completely disappeared. Tea sellers, shopkeepers, rickshaw drivers and residents kept using them in everyday conversations. For many Lahoris, Lakshmi Chowk was always Lakshmi Chowk, no matter what the signboards or official files said.

Lahore is home to more than 100 recognised heritage structures. Restoration work is currently underway on dozens of colonial-era sites.

The revival drive also includes restoration work on churches and Sikh-era structures linked to Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s empire. At Lahore Fort, authorities have restored a painting of Princess Bamba Sutherland, the last descendant of the Sikh royal family. Kamran Lashari said earlier attempts to install a statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Lahore had faced vandalism. But he said the atmosphere in recent years has become more open and inclusive.

The revival effort has also reopened memories tied to Lahore’s sporting and cultural history.

PTI reported that Nawaz Sharif has also proposed bringing back Lahore’s historic cricket grounds and the old wrestling arena at Minto Park, now called Greater Iqbal Park. Long before Partition, the grounds had produced generations of cricketers, including Pakistan stars like Inzamam-ul-Haq and Indian great Lala Amarnath, who trained there before 1947.

The park’s demolished akhara once echoed with bouts involving legendary wrestlers such as Gama Pehalwan and Imam Bakhsh. Before Partition, Lahore’s Hindu families also gathered there every year for Dussehra celebrations.

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