Liaquat Bagh may finally be converted into a park

Proposal sent to Punjab government for landscaping of ground.

RAWALPINDI: The park, which became famous for holding some of the most poignant political rallies in the country as well as the site where two prime ministers were assassinated, will no longer host public gatherings.

The Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) of Rawalpindi plans to turn Liaquat Bagh (originally known as Company Gardens) into a public park.

For this purpose, the authority has invited bids from consultancy firms to transform the vast open ground, feasible for holding large political meetings with up to 25,000 people, into a beautiful park adorned with intricate landscaping and fountains.

According to PHA officials, most conspicuously, the invitation contains proposal for a mini museum which would showcase the pictorial history of the park in the shape of news clippings.

Located on the busy Murree Road, Liaquat Bagh has seen the murder of Pakistan’s first Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan, an armed attack on a rally of the Wali Khan-led National Awami Party by the Federal Security Force on the orders of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto resulting in the death of over a dozen NAP men and finally the assassination former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.



PHA officials said that the museum would also display pictures and news clippings of mammoth gatherings which Liaquat Bagh has hosted over the years.

After due consultancy and finalising the proposals, the matter would be forwarded to the Punjab government for due action.

Shehbaz Sharif Park

Meanwhile, PHA has decided to complete work on the Shehbaz Sharif Park on Rawal Road by the end of this year, officials said.

Being constructed over 106 kanals owned by the Civil Aviation Authority, the project is estimated to cost around Rs87 million.

The Punjab government has so far release Rs67 million to the PHA for the park’s development while the remaining Rs20 million is expected to be released soon, they said.

Moreover, the PHA has decided to rename the Gai Chowk (Cow Crossing) intersection as Shehbaz Sharif Chowk. The intersection had borne its name since before the Partition.

The government has also decided to install a model of an eagle at the renamed intersection. ‘Shahbaz’ is the Persian word for eagle.

Moreover, officials said that on the recommendation of Interior Minsiter Chaudhry Nisar, the PHA would develop a park in NA-42 constituency on public land.

The park would be developed over 115 kanals at a cost of Rs150 million out of which, Rs15 million have been released so far. The Punjab government has reportedly approved the release of Rs15 million additional funds too.

Bypass bids on Monday

On January 16 (today) bids would open for the contract of a bypass extending from Tipu Road to VIP Road Railway Bridge, officials in Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) said.

Sources said that RDA had approved PC-I of the project and had initiated the process for awarding the contract and consultancy for resident supervision. The project, expected to cost around Rs250 million, is likely to be completed by the end of this year, they said.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 16^th, 2017.