CLAIM
Punjab government has restored pre-partition street names in Lahore
RATING JUSTIFICATION
The iVerify Pakistan team investigated this content and determined that it is misleading.
To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted a keyword search and reached out to Punjab government officials to corroborate the claim.
Multiple Indian mainstream and digital media outlets have been running news reports since May 19, 2026, claiming that the Punjab government was restoring pre-partition street names in Lahore. However, the reports are false, and no such decision has been taken yet.
HOW IT STARTED
On May 19, a mainstream Indian news outlet, India Today, posted a video on YouTube, with the following title: “Pakistan restores pre-partition Hindu and Sikh names of Lahore streets amid minority concerns”.
The post gained 20,310 views.
In the video, the anchorperson can be heard saying: “Getting some breaking news from Pakistan. Pakistan has restored pre-partition names of Lahore streets. Lahore gets back Hindu and Sikh names of the streets. So Pakistan’s Islampura is now Krishna Nagar; Babri Chowk has reverted to Jain Mandir Chowk. In fact, Pakistan’s Mustafabad is now Dharamura once again. So amid brazen human rights violation reports and rising Hindu persecutions, Pakistan has now restored the pre-partition era names.”
She added that while the restoration steps had been taken, “real action is still awaited as far as the minorities are concerned”.
The same outlet also published a news report with the following headline: “Pak restores pre-Partition names of Lahore streets: Islampura is now Krishan Nagar”.
It cited an unnamed official of the Punjab government as the source.
India Today Global also posted a video on YouTube with the following title: “Pak restores Hindu, Sikh and colonial era names in Lahore as Nawaz Sharif revives pre-partition glory”.
The video report alleged that Pakistan had officially begun restoring several historic Hindu, Sikh, and colonial-era names across Lahore as part of a massive heritage revival campaign led by PML-N President Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.
The description of the clip reads: “The renaming effort forms part of the Lahore Authority for Heritage Revival or LAHR, a Rs50 billion urban conservation initiative aimed at restoring Lahore’s multicultural identity and architectural legacy. Authorities are also restoring temples, churches, gurdwaras and colonial-era buildings linked to Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Princess Bamba Sutherland.”
The Indian Express also published a news report with the following headline: “Pakistan’s Punjab government to restore pre-partition names of Lahore streets”.
According to the report, the Punjab government had approved a plan to restore the names of several streets and roads in Lahore, aiming to revive the city’s pre-partition heritage.
The news report did not cite any credible sources or provide images of the streets slated for renaming.
NDTV also published a report with the following headline: “Rehman Gali becomes Ram Gali: Why Pak is changing names of Lahore streets.”
The news report stated that official signboards of Islampura read Krishan Nagar, Babri Masjid Chowk has reverted to Jain Mandir Chowk, and Rehman Gali is back to being called Ram Gali.
A local Indian magazine, Outlook India, also shared a post on Instagram with the following caption: “Lahore is restoring pre-partition street names across the city. Rehman Gali is now Ram Gali again. Islampura has reverted to Krishan Nagar. Babri Masjid Chowk is now Jain Mandir Chowk. At least nine locations have already been renamed, with more changes planned under the Lahore Heritage Area Revival project. The government describes it as a heritage restoration effort. Critics argue it also serves a broader diplomatic and economic purpose amid IMF dependence, FATF scrutiny, and efforts to attract foreign investment and tourism.”
Similarly, Brut India, a digital news outlet, shared a list on its Facebook account featuring old and new street names in Lahore. “Pakistan’s Punjab government has approved restoring historic Hindu, Sikh and Jain street names in Lahore as part of the ‘Lahore Heritage Areas Revival Project’, aiming to preserve the city’s multicultural history,” the caption reads.
METHODOLOGY
A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to the massive Indian media coverage on it and keen public interest in the topic.
A keyword search was conducted to verify whether any Pakistani media outlets had recently reported that Lahore was officially restoring pre-partition street names, but no such reports were found.
Multiple government officials and authorities were contacted to corroborate the matter.
Hafsa Javed Khawaja, a communications specialist at the Punjab Directorate General of Public Relations (DGPR), rubbished the claim as “fake news” to Nukta Lahore editor Murtaza Dar.
Similarly, Lahore Deputy Commissioner Captain (R) Muhammad Ali Ejaz told The Express Tribune (ET) correspondent Afzal Talib that none of the street names in Lahore had been changed, adding that the reports circulating online were false.
Shahid Kathia, the chief executive officer of the Metropolitan Corporation Lahore, also denied the claim to Talib, stating that the circulating reports had no authenticity and that no official renaming of streets in Lahore had taken place.
Furthermore, Tania Qureshi, a spokesperson from the Walled City of Lahore Authority, was also contacted regarding the matter. She told ET correspondent Asif Mehmood that while discussions regarding the matter had taken place, no official notification to the effect was issued by the relevant authorities in this regard.
None of the Indian news articles reporting the claim provided an official government notification or a corresponding document as confirmation. The reports also did not quote a named government official or present any pictures of the newly named streets, raising doubts over the authenticity of the claim.
A keyword search yielded two ET news reports from March 20 and April 6, 2026, titled: “Historical names of streets to be restored” and “Government eyes restoration of landmark names”, respectively.
The first stated that a decision to revive the original names of roads, streets, and historic government colleges in Lahore was approved in a meeting chaired by CM Maryam and Nawaz to restore the historical identity and cultural heritage of the city.
The second report stated that the Punjab government announced a comprehensive plan to restore the original names of historic areas, roads, and landmarks in Lahore to highlight the city’s historical identity and strengthen its connection with cultural heritage.
It added that in the past, several locations were renamed, such as Krishan Nagar to Islampura, Dharampura to Mustafabad and Ram Gali to Rehman Gali. Similarly, Mall Road was renamed Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam, Mohan Lal Bazaar to Urdu Bazaar, Abbott Road to Ghaznavi Road, Lahore Stadium to Gaddafi Stadium, Gol Bagh to Nasir Bagh, and Minto Park to Iqbal Park.
“However, many of these new names did not fully gain public acceptance. Officials say that these changes have partially blurred the city’s historical identity. Under the proposed plan, original names will be reintroduced to reconnect citizens with their past and revive Lahore’s cultural character,” the report added.
It quoted Kamran Lashari, the secretary of the Lahore Authority for Heritage Revival, as saying that the city’s streets, markets, and roads were an integral part of its cultural history, and restoring their original names would promote historical awareness.
“Despite official name changes, many old names continued to be used by the public, indicating that historical identity persists,” he said.
For further investigation, a team from Nukta provided iVerify with photos of major signboards from across Lahore, which show that both old and new names are still being used in the city, with the latter not being restored to the former.
As can be seen in this photograph, the signboards of both Dharampura and Mustafabad are installed in several places in Lahore, as opposed to the Indian media claims that Mustafabad had been reverted to Dharampura.
Similarly, the signboards of both Abbott Road and Ghaznavi Road were installed across Lahore at official institutions: the Metropolitan Corporation and the DGPR. Abbott Road had been renamed Ghaznavi Road.
Lakshmi Chowk was renamed to Maulana Zafar Ali Khan Chowk, but signboards for both were installed.
Lawrence Road was renamed to Bagh-i-Jinnah Road, but signboards for both are presently used by official institutions: the Punjab Transport Company and the Walled City of Lahore Authority.
The continued usage of the new names in signboards shows that they have not been restored to their pre-partition names.
However, as noted above by Lashari and seen in the picture, official signage and boards in Lahore continue to use a mix of pre-partition names and their new names. More examples of the old names being used are provided below.
Temple Road, which was renamed to Hameed Nizami Road, is still mentioned in signboards by its original name.
The same is the case with the Jain Mandir Road, which was renamed to Babri Masjid Chowk. It is referred to by its original name on signboards.
FACT-CHECK STATUS: MISLEADING
The claim that Lahore has restored pre-partition street names is misleading.
While the move has been deliberated, no formal action has been taken to this effect. The new names still continue to be used in official signage. Relevant government officials confirmed that no streets had as yet been officially restored from their new names to their pre-partition names.
Evidence and References
March 20, 2026, The Express Tribune news report:
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2598511/historical-names-of-streets-to-be-restored
April 6, 2026, The Express Tribune news report:
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2601259/government-eyes-restoration-of-landmark-names-1