t was through his letter dated January 28, 1984, that a group of citizens were invited to his home — 36-T, Gulberg II. After a series of preparatory meetings that included hi-teas, the general contours of a much needed society were defined. It was felt that Lahore had been fast losing its character through pulling down of tangible heritage and concretisation of its green spaces. Thus, the Lahore Conservation Society (LCS) was formed.

The bylaws of the society were framed by the eminent corporate lawyer, Dr Pervaiz Hassan. It was registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.

It was decided that a meeting would be held on the last Wednesday of every month, in which diapositive-aided lectures should be delivered by the members and their guests.

Occasionally, the threatened sites were also visited. This scribe was entrusted with the task of press coverage. Thus, a number of articles appeared, especially in the now-defunct The Pakistan Times. Recently, I self-published them as a book, titled Some Columns in The Pakistan Times, and dedicated it to Syed Ghulam Sarwar, who was the magazine editor and a very compassionate person. His son, Prof Dr Syed Mansoor Sarwar, the current vice chancellor of the University of Engineering and Technology (UET), also graced the launch of the book at the House of NANNAs.

The compilation of the essays in itself is a part of the history of the endeavours and struggles of the Lahoris to save their city. The contents start with a lament about Lahore and its facelift, documenting both the fascinating aspects of the city and its stinking historic districts.

This called for a conservation plan all right. The Badshahi Masjid view was going to be blocked by another multi-storey ward at a nearby hospital. A dictator ordered the hospital to be removed altogether. A new campaign had to be launched to save the hospital.

Not all endeavours had a successful ending. The Bheroanki Asthan, the oldest Hindu shrine, and its water tank could not be saved due to the connivance of the Evacuee Trust Property Board.

Rafiq Moghul appealed to the LCS for the removal of the pedestrian crossing bridge that barred the view of Chauburji. This scribe wrote two biting articles, and the bridge was ordered removed by Lord Mayor Shuja-ur Rehman; a roundabout enclosing the monument was also built.

The LCS members also visited Lahore’s oldest monument in its original shape — the tomb of Sheikh Musa Ahangar, on McLeod Road, and halted the extension of a mosque over the graves.

Perhaps, our biggest success was saving the Tollinton Market through public protests and the press. Hence, the LCS always preferred holding their meetings there.

The dinner hosted in honour of Aga Khan at Lahore Fort was a violation of the UNESCO manifesto. The list is endless. But the resultant Punjab Special Premises Act 1985 was a big success. Though Tollinton Market too was listed in it (at number 13), it mysteriously disappeared because the worshipers of the golden calf still have designs on it.

The LCS held many press conferences at various venues as the Press Club building could not be built because at the site initially selected for it. Instead, the shrine of Pir Ghaib Shah appeared next to the PTV building. Covering one of the press conferences held at the club located in a narrow lane next to Lord’s Restaurant, legendary journalist Safdar Mir (Zeno) lambasted the government of the day for allowing slums to grow around Jahangir’s Tomb.

Besides, Matti Haveli and Paparr Mandi could not be saved due to the slackness and lethargy of the then secretary. As a result, the long avoided elections were finally held. The new team was helpless due to the vested interests of some members who preferred to meet the bureaucrats privately, only to boost their own practices.

The LCS thus vegetated and lay dormant. On the sad demise of its founder, Khawaja Zaheeruddin, a general assembly was called by this scribe for a reference. A great number of long-forgotten members and friends of Lahore gathered on May 14, 2006. New office bearers were elected in a friendly way. The revived the society, fought brave battles on various fronts — for trees along the canal, and against the signal-free corridor and the OLMT. The cases won in the High Court were lost in the Supreme Court due to minor technical points.

Earlier, the Metro Bus that wiped out trees on Ferozepur Road right up to Gajjumatta was not opposed by the LCS; hence the government of the day was emboldened to go ahead with the Orange Train. Had the citizens blocked the march of concrete pillars and pulled down some of them, the Orange Train poject could not have been built.

The society deliberately avoided renewing its registration and never held any elections. The office bearers acted as life members and never invited the old guard to the meetings. With the participation of the civil society in large numbers, the credit was claimed by the office bearers who had long become defunct after their two-year tenure expired. Some continued even to represent the LCS at various fora including the Lahore Master Plan 2050, and suggested the TORs.

The city of Lahore continued to suffer at the hands of our collective greed. A retired bureaucrat started setting up food streets in areas which were already organic food streets. Old Anarkali, for instance, boasted a number of eateries; and Gowalmandi had eating spots established by the refugees from Amritsar who specialized in fish and dairy products. The green grocers, earthen pottery shops, beef and mutton shops, and the hairdressers plied their businesses amicably. Most were turned into food shops, and the entry of local bicycles and scooters was banned by the collectors of parking fees. Starving children, scantily clad, could feel the aroma of the expensive food dishes being sold in shops beneath their homes.

The idea was pushed further in the form of the Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) whose functions overlapped with those of the Metropolitan Corporation of Lahore (MCL) and the Lahore Development Authority (LDA).

More recently, Lahore’s most important monuments - all on UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites’ list — Jahangir’s Tomb, Lahore Fort and Shalamar Gardens — were taken away from the Archaeology Department and handed over to the WCLA. Later, Kamran Lashari, the WCLA chief, was also appointed the director general of archeology, even though a retired government servant above the age of 63 cannot be reappointed under the Punjab Civil Servants Act, 1974.

Dr Fariha Tajammal, the Archaeology Department director general, who had been vocal about interventions by ‘outsiders,’ has been sent on forced leave. The caretaker chief minister of the Punjab has directed the WCLA to ‘restore’ the twelve gates of Old Lahore, even though the authority has no staff trained for such tasks. Of course, the caretaker government has no mandate to make such appointments.

During the grand general assembly of the freshly named Conservation Society, it was decided that board members and office bearers would be elected amicably and the tradition of meeting at Tollinton on the last Wednesday of every month would be revived. This scribe was nominated and confirmed as chartered president. Muhammad Javed was requested to take charge as vice president.

The meeting ended with a group photo and a vote of thanks to all in attendance. Prof Dr Murtaza Jafri, the National College of Arts vice chancellor, and Asif and Rida, the custodians of Tollinton, were thanked for allowing the use of the premises for the meeting.

(This dispatch is dedicated to late Khawaja Zaheeruddin)

The writer is a painter, a founding member of Lahore Conservation Society and Punjab Artists Association, and a former director of the NCA Art Gallery. He can be reached at ajazart@brain.net.pk