The Punjab government in Pakistan has cleared a proposal to reinstate the original names of several roads and streets in Lahore as part of an effort to revive the city’s pre-Partition heritage, an official said on Monday.
Over the years, many of Lahore’s historic streets, lanes and roads were renamed, with earlier British-era and Hindu-linked names replaced by those of Islamic, Pakistani or local personalities.
“The Punjab Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister, 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,” PTI quoted a Punjab government official as saying.
He said the move has been taken to restore the cultural identity and heritage of the historic city.
He added that the initiative is being spearheaded by former Prime Minister who heads the Lahore Heritage Areas Revival project, and that the proposal was approved by the cabinet last week.
The Lahore administration has approved the restoration of several historic street and locality names, replacing their earlier Islamic-era names with pre-Partition or colonial-era identifiers.
Old and new names of Lahore streets in Pakistan
Sunnat Nagar has been reverted to Sant Nagar, while Maulana Zafar Ali Khan Chowk is now being restored as Lakshmi Chowk. Mustafaabad has been renamed Dharampura, and Sir Aga Khan Chowk has been changed back to Davis Road. Similarly, Allama Iqbal Road will once again be known as Jail Road, Fatima Jinnah Road as Queens Road, and Bagh-e-Jinnah as Lawrence Gardens.
Other changes include Islampura being restored to Krishan Nagar, Hameed Nizami Road to Temple Street, Nishtar Road to Brandreth Road, and Rehman Gali to Ram Gali. Babri Masjid Chowk has been renamed Jain Mandir Road, while Ghaziabad will now be called Kumharpura. Jeelani Road is reverting to Outfall Road, and Shahrah-i-Abdul Hameed bin Badees will once again be known as Empress Road.
The changing names is a part of the “Lahore Heritage Area Revival”, the Punjab government project. It is a 50 billion PKR restoration project launched in 2025 by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and directed by Nawaz Sharif to restore the city’s historical and architectural identity. It is spearheaded by the Lahore Authority for Heritage Revival.
Meanwhile, Nawaz Sharif has also suggested restoring three cricket grounds and a traditional ‘akhara’ (wrestling arena) at Minto Park, now known as Greater Iqbal Park, a move that is being seen by some as an attempt at damage control, the PTI report noted.
His brother, Shehbaz Sharif, had previously faced backlash in 2015 during his tenure as Punjab chief minister for destroying three historic cricket grounds, club facilities and a wrestling arena as part of an urban development project.
The Minto Park cricket clubs had also produced several notable players, including former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq.
Prior to the Partition, Indian cricketer Lala Amarnath trained at these clubs in Lahore. When he returned to the city with the Indian cricket team in 1978, he visited Minto Park and spent time with players of the Crescent Cricket Club, the same club he represented before Partition.
The wrestling arena that once stood in Minto Park had hosted matches featuring renowned wrestlers such as Goonga Pehalwan, Imam Bakhsh and Gama Pehalwan.
The park also served as a venue in the pre-Partition era where Hindu communities celebrated the festival of Dussehra.
