The Punjab Assembly has rejected a resolution for the renaming of Kutchery Road after Dr GW Leitner, a British-Hungarian linguist who founded the Punjab University in the 19th Century.
Four resolutions were presented in the Punjab Assembly on Tuesday, a private members’ day which began at 11.18am. Minister for Special Education Asif Minhas took up questions about his department, after which the resolutions were presented and debated.
Sheikh Allauddin of the PML-N proposed that Kutchery Road, from the District Courts to Neela Gumbad, be renamed after Leitner in view of his services to education in the subcontinent. Members on both the opposition and treasury benches opposed it.
Allauddin said he could not understand why lawmakers ignorant of Leitner’s life and contributions were opposing the resolution. He said if they did not like ‘English’ names, they should not use ‘English’ medicine.
He said that Leitner, who was born in Hungry, had served as principal of Government College Lahore and had laid the foundation for the Punjab University. He had converted what had been a Sikh cantonment into Government College.
He said that Balak Ram Medical College had been renamed after Fatima Jinnah, even though she had had nothing to do with the college. Lawrence Gardens had been renamed Bagh-i-Jinnah, though the founder of the nation had played no part for the park. He said that he was relieved that Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, named after Balak Ram’s father, had not been renamed.
Allauddin said it was important that the identity of historical buildings and places be not just preserved, but honoured. Unfortunately, many historic places associated with historic figures had been renamed after locals with no connection to those places, he added.
Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan, opposing the resolution, said that the British had subjugated and colonised the subcontinent and deserved no honour for this from Pakistan. He said that the British had come here to take the region’s wealth. He said places and buildings here had been renamed after Muhammad Ali Jinnah and his sister because of their role in the formation of the country.
The minister said that under the law, roads and squares in Lahore could be renamed after heroes who had fought and died for Pakistan or those who had played a part in its formation. If Allauddin did not like this, he should move an amendment to the law, he said. Leitner may have done good work in the subcontinent, but he had played no part in Pakistan’s creation, he said.
Allauddin said that Leitner may not have been a local, but he had served the city of Lahore. He said that the country and society appeared to have a problem with acknowledging the services of non-Muslims.
Dr Waseem Akhtar of Jamaat-i-Islami said that all English place and street names in the city should be replaced by Islamic names.
The house opposed Allauddin’s resolution with a majority.
Three other resolutions – for mandatory hepatitis vaccination of all children aged up to five, for local elections in cantonment areas, and for the setting up of shelter homes for beggars – passed successfully.
There were also heated exchanges in the assembly on Tuesday between the opposition and treasury benches over two incidents involving the press.
While Sanaullah demanded that the PTI turn over to the police two workers who allegedly assaulted media personnel covering their protest outside the assembly a day earlier, opposition members called for a resolution condemning the Balochistan government’s decision to lodge a criminal complaint against ARY, a television channel.
Speaker Rana Iqbal Khan adjourned the session till Wednesday morning.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 28th, 2013.