LHCBA altering historic Kiyani Hall by building washrooms

The building is protected under Federal Antiquities Act and PSPO 1985

LAHORE: Nature’s call can get the better of the best of them and it is perhaps on this pretext that lawyers are altering the protected heritage building of Kiyani Hall by constructing washrooms on the roof.

The Kiyani Hall building of the Lahore High Court Bar Association and the LHC structure itself are both of historical or architectural significance and therefore protected under the Federal Antiquities Act 1975 and Section 5 of the Punjab Special Premises (Preservation) Ordinance 1985. “No alteration in or renovation, demolition or re-erection of such portion of a Special Premises as is visible from outside, or any part of such portion, shall be effected without the prior permission in writing of the government or a committee,” the law states.

The washrooms being constructed at Kiyani Hall are about 120 square feet and being constructed on the Study Room for visitors of the LHCBA’s fitness centre, which is on the second floor of its newly constructed hall. To go ahead with the construction, features of the historic buildings are being compromised or removed from this specific area.

This construction was initiated by previous representatives of the LHCBA, a few weeks before their tenure ended after the bar’s elections. The grey structure has been completed and now the walls are being plastered.

Former LHCBA secretary Anas Ghazi tells The Express Tribune that no permission is needed from any authority as the bar itself is the custodian of the building.

He says the construction of washrooms was decided during the visit of the Azad Kashmir prime minister in February. Ghazi recalls said there were no washrooms attached to the upper floor conference hall at the time, adding it was embarrassing for the whole bar to take the PM to a washroom downstairs.

The former secretary assures the new structure will look the same as the original building of the bar.

He states two washrooms are being constructed on the rooftop at a cost of around Rs160,000. The LHCBA member says building work is ongoing and will be completed in a few weeks. Ghazi assures no legal codes are being violated and no harm will be caused to the protected building.

He says the walls of the washroom are being built exactly above the walls of the lower hall so no harm will come to the roof.

LHCBA Secretary Amir Saeed Rawn and the bar’s vice president, Rashid Lodhi, while talking to The Express Tribune, expressed their ignorance over the matter. However, they ultimately stated they were in the process of understanding the system and would deliberate over the matter. The lawyers assured that any decision would be in the best interest of the legal fraternity.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 8^th, 2017.