The claim that Lahore has restored pre-partition street names is misleading. PHOTO: NEWS OUTLET SCREEN SHOT
Several Indian mainstream and digital media have run news reports since 19 May 2026 claiming that the Punjab government restored 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 Hindu and Sikh names on Lahore streets ahead of partition amid minority concerns”.
The post received 20,310 views.
In the video, the anchor can be heard saying, “Getting some breaking news from Pakistan. Pakistan has restored pre-partition names of Lahore streets. Lahore is getting back Hindu and Sikh street names. So Pakistan’s Islampura is now Krishna Nagar; Babri Chowk has returned to Jain Mandir Chowk again, Pakistan’s Mandir Chowk is now once again. Pakistan’s Mandiramid is indeed again. brazen reports of human rights abuses and increasing Hindu persecution, Pakistan has now restored to the pre-partition names.”
She added that although recovery steps had been taken, “real action is still awaited as far as the minorities are concerned”.
The same publication also published a news report with the following headline: “Pak restores pre-partition names on Lahore streets: Islampura is now Krishan Nagar”.
It cited an unnamed Punjab government official as a source.
India Today Global also posted a video on YouTube with the following title: “Pak revives Hindu, Sikh and colonial names in Lahore as Nawaz Sharif revives pre-partition glory”.
The video report claimed that Pakistan had officially started restoring several historic Hindu, Sikh and colonial names across Lahore as part of a massive revival campaign led by PML-N President Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.
The description of the clip reads: “The renaming effort is part of the Lahore Authority for Heritage Revival or LAHR, a Rs 50 billion city conservation initiative aimed at restoring Lahore’s multicultural identity and architectural heritage. The authority is also restoring temples, churches, gurdwaras and colonial-era Sjithara buildings and the Mahjara building, which is connected to the Sjithar buildings. Princess Bamba Sutherland.”
Indian Express also published a news report with the following headline: “Pakistan’s Punjab government to restore pre-partition Lahore street names”.
According to the report, the Punjab government had approved a plan to restore the names of several streets and roads in Lahore, with the aim of reviving the city’s pre-partition heritage.
The news report did not cite any credible sources or provide photos of the streets to be renamed.
NDTV also published a report with the following headline: “Rehman Gali becomes Ram Gali: Why Pak is changing names on Lahore streets.”
The news report stated that official signs from Islampura read Krishan Nagar, Babri Masjid Chowk has returned to Jain Mandir Chowk and Rehman Gali is back to being called Ram Gali.
A local Indian magazine, Outlook Indiaalso shared a post on Instagram with the following caption: “Lahore restores pre-partition street names across the city. Rehman Gali is now Ram Gali again. Islampura has returned to Krishan Nagar. Babri Masjid Chowk is now Jain Mandir Chowk. At least nine places have already been renamed and more changes are planned under the government’s governance project. a heritage effort Critics argue it also serves a broader diplomatic and economic purpose amid IMF dependency, FATF scrutiny and efforts to attract foreign investment and tourism.
Corresponding Brut Indiaa digital news outlet, shared a list on its Facebook account of old and new street names in Lahore. “Pakistan’s Punjab government has approved the restoration of 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 launched to determine the veracity of the claim due to the massive Indian media coverage of it and great public interest in the subject.
A keyword search was conducted to verify if any Pakistani media had recently reported that Lahore officially restored pre-partition street names, but no such reports were found.
Several officials and authorities were contacted to confirm the matter.
Hafsa Javed Khawaja, a communications specialist at the Punjab Directorate General of Public Relations (DGPR), dismissed the claim as “fake news” to Nukta Lahore Editor Murtaza Dar.
Similarly, Lahore Deputy Commissioner Captain (R) Muhammad Ali Ejaz told The Express Pakinomist (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 managing director 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 the streets of Lahore had taken place.
Besides, Tania Qureshi, a spokesperson of the Walled City of Lahore Authority was also contacted regarding the matter. She told A correspondent Asif Mehmood that while discussions on the matter had taken place, no official notification was issued by the relevant authorities in this regard.
None of the Indian news articles that reported the claim provided an official government announcement or equivalent document as confirmation. The reports also did not cite a named official or present any images of the newly named streets, casting doubt on the authenticity of the claim.
A keyword search yielded two A news items dated March 20 and April 6, 2026, titled “Historic street names to be restored” and “Government looks at 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 city’s historical identity and cultural heritage.
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 link with cultural heritage.
It added that several places were earlier renamed such as Krishan Nagar to Islampura, Dharampura to Mustafabad and Ram Gali to Rehman Gali. Similarly, Mall Road was renamed as Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam, Mohan Lal Bazaar as Urdu Bazaar, Abbott Road as Ghaznavi Road, Lahore Stadium as Gaddafi Stadium, Gol Bagh as Nasir Bagh and Minto Park as Iqbal Park.
“However, many of these new names did not gain full public acceptance. Officials say these changes have partially obscured the city’s historical identity. Under the proposed plan, original names will be reinstated 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 the historical identity remains,” he said.
For further investigation, a team from Nukta provided iVerify with photos of large signs from across Lahore, which show that both old and new names are still in use in the city, with the latter not being restored to the former.
As can be seen in this photograph, the signs from both Dharampura and Mustafabad have been installed in several places in Lahore, contrary to Indian media claims that Mustafabad had been returned to Dharampura.
Similarly, the signs on both Abbott Road and Ghaznavi Road were installed across Lahore at official institutions: Metropolitan Corporation and DGPR. Abbott Road had been renamed Ghaznavi Road.
Lakshmi Chowk was renamed Maulana Zafar Ali Khan Chowk but signs for both were installed.
Lawrence Road was renamed Bagh-i-Jinnah Road, but signs for both are currently used by official institutions: the Punjab Transport Company and the Walled City of Lahore Authority.
The continued use of the new names in signs shows that they have not been restored to their pre-partition names.
However, as noted above by Lashari and seen in the photo, official signage and boards in Lahore continue to use a mixture of pre-partition names and their new names. More examples of the old names being used are given below.
Temple Road, which was renamed Hameed Nizami Road, is still referred to on signs by its original name.
The same is the case with Jain Mandir Road, which was renamed Babri Masjid Chowk. It is referred to by its original name on signs.
Fact Check Status: Misleading
The claim that Lahore has restored pre-partition street names is misleading.
While the move has been contemplated, no formal action has been taken in this direction. The new names are still used in official signage. Relevant officials confirmed that no streets had yet been officially restored from their new names to their pre-partition names.
This fact check was originally published by iVerify Pakistan — a project of CEJ-IBA and UNDP.
