3 min readNew DelhiMay 19, 2026 01:34 PM IST
From Islampura back to Krishan Nagar, and Babri Masjid Chowk to Jain Mandir Chowk — nearly eight decades after the brutal Partition, Lahore has begun restoring the Hindu, Sikh, Jain and colonial-era names of its streets and alleys.
The decision came days after a cabinet level meeting, chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, news agency PTI reported, quoting an official. According to reports, Sunnat Nagar has become Sant Nagar. Mustafaabad is Dharampura again.
The revision was part of a broader years-long effort by the Punjab government to revive the pre-Partition heritage of the provincial capital. The initiative is led by former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is also the head of the Lahore Heritage Areas Revival project.
Once the heart of the Sikh Empire, Lahore housed temples and gurdawaras and was home to several religious minorities of Pakistan, most of whom were forced out during the Partition. Over the decades, the British-era and Hindu-associated names of key monuments and streets were replaced with those of Islamic or Pakistani nationalist figures.
The monuments were left to languish. But there has been a recent stir to restore them and revive their names. While the move is symbolic, to most local residents, the names never changed since the colonial era.
Historic streets and roads that were renamed in the past by successive governments include Lawrence Road, Empress Road, Santnagar, Dharampura, Brandreth Road, Ram Gali, Tempbell Street, Laxmi Chowk, Queen’s Road, Jail Road and Davies Road.
In a perceived damage control strategy, Sharif has also proposed the restoration of three cricket grounds and a traditional ‘akhara’ (wrestling arena) at Minto Park, now called Greater Iqbal Park.
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Her brother, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, during his tenure as the chief minister in 2015, faced criticism for demolishing three historical cricket grounds and akharas under an urban development programme.
Cricketers, like former Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq and India’s Lala Amarnath, were trained in these cricket clubs in Minto Park and went for training in these clubs before Partition.
The demolished wrestling arena in Minto Park once witnessed bouts by veterans such as Goonga Pehalwan and Gama Pehalwan. Before Partition, Hindus would celebrate the festival of Dussehra in Minto Park.
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