Two events will have an effect on Lahore and Lahoris. The first is the proposal to rename a roundabout in Shadman after the anti-imperialist freedom fighter Bhagat Singh.
The other proposal is the tabling by the Punjab government of the
Lahore Canal Heritage Park Bill, 2012 before this session of the Punjab
Assembly. Both events are examples of hard work by Lahore’s vibrant
civil society in ensuring its voice is heard in the planning and
management of its city.
However, the outcomes of both events are uncertain. The Dilkash
Lahore Committee — established by the City District Government Lahore
(CDGL) to recommend listing heritage sites and renaming the city’s
roads, intersections, etc — has recommended changing the name of Fawwara
Chowk in Shadman to Bhagat Singh Chowk. However, there are rumours that
some people oppose the decision to rename a Pakistani road after a
non-Muslim.
Some years ago, civil society from leftist organisations reclaimed
Shadman’s Fawwara Chowk in the name of Bhagat Singh to honour him for
his sacrifices in pre-Partition India’s struggle against imperialism and
colonialism. Civil society has since celebrated his death anniversary
and enriched the city’s urban experience by introducing into it a
discourse that recognises a Lahori character broader, deeper and older
than its existence under this Islamic Republic. One hopes the CDGL will
be able to resist any opposition to recognising an anti-imperialist
freedom fighter.
The tabling of the Lahore Canal Heritage Park Bill,
2012 is in pursuance of last year’s Supreme Court decision in the
Lahore Canal Widening Case. The Court resolved a five-year stand-off
between the Government of Punjab, which wanted to widen Lahore Canal
Road ostensibly to improve congestion and the Lahore Bachao Tehreek,
another civil society organisation that argued that such widening would
be harmful to the city’s beauty and natural environment, worsen traffic
and be a massive misallocation of resources. The Court had set precedent
by constituting a mediation committee that, after public consultation,
made 18 recommendations that were adopted by the Court. While conceding
the need to widen seven of the proposed 14 kilometres of road, the
Mediation Committee stipulated certain measures the Punjab government
had to take to ensure proper and sustainable urban planning in the city.
One of these steps was to protect the Court’s declaration that the
green belt along the Lahore Canal was a “public trust” by enacting
appropriate legislation. The Bill, if passed, is that legislation and
will certainly be Pakistan’s first law declaring an urban park.
Nevertheless, the Bill leaves much to be desired as it still allows the
Punjab government the power to determine what parts of the green belt
are protected as a park. Some fear that a few years from now, the
government could undo the entire purpose and function of the Lahore
Bachao Tehreek and Court judgment by simply de-notifying the urban park
and widening Canal Road.
These fears appear confirmed by the fact that in September, the
Punjab government filed an application before the Supreme Court seeking
permission to go ahead with the widening of the entire stretch of the
Lahore Canal road from the BRB Canal to Thokar Niaz Beg. The Lahore
Bachao Tehreek, now represented by Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, has taken a
strong stand against this application, as has Dr Parvez Hassan, the
mediator appointed by the Supreme Court. They argue that the Supreme
Court’s decision last year was in the nature of a compromise with both
the Government of Punjab and the Lahore Bachao Tehreek conceding some
ground in return for commitments to improve the urban planning of the
city. They argue that the government’s recent application is an attempt
to go behind this solemn pact and that even if the government had
complied with all 18 of the Mediation Committee’s recommendations, it
would still not be permitted to alter the nature of the urban park.
Both these events demonstrate the immense power of civil society in
Lahore’s urban planning and its potential in other cities. The efforts
of the people, who have sought to participate in the decision-making of
this city, is laudable (the Supreme Court has been especially generous
in its praise of Lahore’s civil society). But these organisations also
know that the gods are fickle and that they must remain constantly
engaged in the city’s life. They need support and appreciation. It adds
fuel to their fire.
It appears some people are bent on destroying the Lahori landscape . This time it is the Lahore Press Club. It is beyond understanding why in the first instance the Press Club was allowed to occupy a large round about which is Shimla Pahari. Now it is a daily routine to have traffic jam caused by Photographers and a handful of demonstrators blocking the middle of the road. As though this was not enough the press club is now eating the Simla Pahari. Excavators are busy digging the Phari next to the other occupant a Mosque. This excavation is destroying what little is left of the centuries old Shimla Pahari and is nothing short of the worst form of land occupation and destruction of a landmark of Lahore. If this is allowed to continue , it is only a matter of time for Shimla Pahari to disappear.
Rafa, Lahoris and Lahore Buchao Tahrik Please help to immediately stop the construction of additional facility of the Press Club and the destruction of Shimla pahari.