Conservation and citizens

The citizens of Lahore have boldly taken the matter of preserving the city’s heritage in their own hands, rather than leaving it up to foreign donors. The chairman of the Lahore Heritage Foundation (LHF), Syed Babar Ali, recently approved a $50 million plan for the restoration of the Lahore Fort, built over several centuries ago. Parts of the structure have been crumbling bit by bit for years, despite sporadic preservation attempts, and the vast lawns amidst which the building is set are, too, in need of better tending. Permission granted at various points by administrations to allow the fort to be used to host weddings or other private functions, have not helped matters, with nails hammered mercilessly into walls to set up tents or equipment.

The LHF, which hopes to work with the Lahore Walled City Authority on the plan, has taken a much-needed step. It has also identified other buildings in the city in need of repair, such as the Punjab Public Library. There are, of course, many others. Our track record, as far as safeguarding our heritage is concerned, has not been a good one. This needs to be amended and similar initiatives extended to other cities. We must remember that when we fail to show respect to our heritage and past, we also push aside our history. Indeed, all organisations working on conservation must join hands to save it. This should be an effort launched at the national level so that buildings and sites scattered across the country can be saved and prevented from falling into decay as a result of neglect or official indifference to them. Such indifference has already caused much damage and it is time that citizens became more aware about keeping our historical legacy intact and working towards this in whatever way they can. This, after all, is one of the tasks of any civilised society and we need to prove we rank among them.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 11^th, 2013.

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