Preserving history: Hundreds attend Walled City photo walk

LAHORE:

The Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) Director General Kamran Lashari said on Saturday that photography could be used to publicise the Walled City attractions.

He was speaking at a five-hour photo walk organised by the authority in collaboration with the Lahore Photography Club. Several amateur and professional photographers were among the 550 people who participated in the walk. The walk started from Mochi Gate and ended at Fort Road Food Street after covering Masjid Saleh Kamboh, Kucha Poorbian, Nisar Haveli, Mohalla Shian Kashmirian, Nawab Sahib Chowk, Haveli Wajid Ali Shah and Sunehri Masjid.

Lashari said photography was a powerful medium. He said the walk would help preserve the history of the Walled City. Lashari said the photographs taken would become a part of historical archives in the future. He praised the club for organising photo walks and contests. Lashari said the club had been promoting the city’s heritage and culture.

Marketing Director Asif Zaheer said he had not expected the event to be this popular. He said the authority was planning to hold similar events in the future. Zaheer said the photographs taken in the walk would be added to the authority’s photographic database.

Deputy Director Tania Qureshi said photography played a crucial role in spreading information.

She said it could enable virtual tourism. Qureshi said people worldwide could now see pictures on social media sites.

Photography Club president Masood Ahmed Khan said the club wanted to highlight the city’s culture and heritage. He said it was imperative for photographers to promote Pakistan. Khan said this was the fourth photo walk organised by the club.  He said the club looked forward to collaborating with the authority in the future too.

Vice-president Nadeem Dar said a large number of people had participated in the walk. He said some diplomats had also taken part in the walk.

Simeon B Abarquez of the Philippine embassy praised the authority for organising the walk. She said this was a novel way of promoting heritage and culture.

Samina Hayat, a photographer, said she was glad to have participated in the walk as she had never visited the places before. She said she would visit other sites in the Walled City later to discover more marvels.

Ahsan Taqveem, a photographer, praised the authority for bringing the photo enthusiasts on a single platform.  He also said the security arrangements were exemplary. Taqveem said the walk had provided amateur photographers with the opportunity to interact with and learn from veterans.

A musical evening followed the walk.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 19^th, 2014.