Pakistan came into being only in 1947 however the roads buildings institutions parks and many other objects of civilization were built discovered and used by the common people much before the existence of Pakistan.
Immediately after the demise of founder of nation people in the country started to grab the names for themselves some started grabbing lands in the south and some started promoting religion in the way they felt right.
Not just the people started getting new names and conversion of people?s liberal beliefs to hardliner beliefs the buildings, parks and educational institutions were also renamed and were made to look like the new so called Muslim names.
Like every other religious and grabbing activity Punjab?s capital Lahore was ahead in the race of this conversion. The names of places which had some Hindu element were renamed to Muslim names. Kirshan Nagar and Dev Samaj areas were renamed to ?Islam Pura? and Sant Nagar was renamed to ?Sunnat Nagar? and later Sandha.
The Our Fall road was renamed to ?Jeelani Road? a way to pay homage to Islami Scholar Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jeelani although his educations were buried in the locked libraries .
This change was not always Islamic but it also attacked on historical names the old Grand Trunk road in Lahore was renamed to founder of Pakistan?s name ?Shahrae Quaid-e-Azam? the road infront of Punjab assembly was renamed from Queen?s road to Fatima Jinnah road. The Jail Road was renamed to Allama Iqbal road and Davis road was renamed to ?Sir Aga Kha road? however nor the values and teachings of these great men and woman were adopted not the names of these roads completely vanished people still call these places by their old names.
On the same Mall Road is the National College of arts which got its Pakistani name from ?Meo School of Arts?.
Tempbell Street was give the name of the founder of Daily Nawai Waqt Hameed Nizami. This change of names was also brought on to the Parks the Lawrence garden of Lahore was renamed to ?Baghe Jinnah? due to change of name of the nearby library from Montgomery Hall to Quaid E Azam Library.
The historical Munto Park was renamed to Iqbal Park and the Race Course park on Lawrence road was renamed on the name of Lt. Retired Ghulam Jeelani Khan, who was the Governor of Punjabi during the government of Ziaul Haq, as Jeelani Park
Javed Sheeda who is the representative of Parks and Horticulture Authority says that it is a time consuming and hard job to see when why were these names changed. One will need to check the old files to see how and on what grounds were the names kept and renamed .
Mukhtar Ahmed who has lived in Lahore since 60 years is against this process of changing the names. The old were given to these places for the good service of the men who served people in this country. According to him if the government wanted to remember its national heroes there are many other platforms. The textbooks of children are full of stories from the past of Pakistan and its making. What is the fault of the pre-Pakistan heroes if the young generation can not taken any lesson from those text of the books and follow their leaders.
Lahore has seen changed names for many buildings and places but there are still many objects whose names are not yet changed for example some of these are called and used by Lahoris with pride. For example Lady Wellington Hospital, Gulab Devi Hospital, Gangaram Hospital, Meo hospital. Also the Dayal Singh college Queen Marry College, Canair College and Atchison?s College. Are saved from the renaming.
