As a fond reader of Dr Allama Muhammad Iqbal, I often wished to visit the place where this great ‘Poet of the East’ lived and wrote his famous works. I knew of one such place inside Bhaati Gate. Iqbal is believed to have lived here from 1901-1905.

The next day, I went to Bhaati Gate and asked around if anyone could guide me to the place. Eventually, I came upon the ‘thara’. God knows, whatever is left of this place is distressing, to say the least.

Once the house of Iqbal, the place has now been converted into the office of some music band. The building is a dilapidated structure. The paint has come off, the roof looks like it would collapse any moment, and the filth lying about presents a dismal picture.

I wondered why this place has become a victim of neglect. Was it not worthy of being preserved?

As I stood outside the building, I was told of a barber’s shop nearby where Iqbal would often come for a hair cut. When I asked to be showed the chair which he would sit on, the barber said it had been sold. I was horrified.

A few steps away, I spotted a door with a plate on it that stated "Thara Allama Iqbal."

My question is just how many of us know Iqbal lived here in our very own Bhaati Gate? I believe all the places Allama Iqbal stayed in should be preserved and promoted as tourist sites. At least boards can be placed there with a brief history inscribed on them. The way commercialisation is eating up the Walled City of Lahore, I am afraid we might lose the original value of these places.