Pakistan Renames Places in Lahore with Hindu Names
Nearly 80 years after Partition, Pakistan’s Lahore is restoring old Hindu, Sikh, and Jain place names as part of a major heritage revival and global image-building effort.
Hearing names like Krishan Nagar, Ram Gali, or Jain Mandir Chowk, you would probably think of India. But these places are actually in Lahore, Pakistan.
Nearly 80 years after Partition, Pakistan is restoring many old Hindu, Sikh, Jain, and colonial-era names that were changed after 1947. In just the last two months, at least nine locations in Lahore have officially returned to their original names.
As part of the Lahore Heritage Area Revival (LHAR) project, Islampura is once again being called Krishan Nagar, Babri Masjid Chowk has reverted to Jain Mandir Chowk, and Rehman Gali is now Ram Gali.
The project, backed by Pakistan’s Punjab government and linked to former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, aims to revive Lahore’s lost historical and cultural identity. Worth nearly 50 billion PKR, the initiative focuses on restoring heritage buildings, protecting culture, and boosting tourism.
The campaign also includes plans to restore old cricket grounds and traditional wrestling arenas in Lahore’s historic Minto Park, where famous cricketers once trained and Hindu communities celebrated Dussehra before Partition.
Interestingly, the move has seen little opposition despite decades of Islamisation in Pakistan. Experts believe the restoration effort is also part of a larger attempt to improve Pakistan’s global image.
By reviving pre-Partition heritage, Pakistan wants to present itself as culturally inclusive, peaceful, and stable — helping attract tourism, foreign investment, and international financial support from organisations like the IMF while avoiding pressure from global watchdogs such as the FATF.
For many, the changing signboards are not just about names — they are reminders of a shared history that existed long before borders divided the region.
