Heritage campaigners score a victory in Lahore

Heritage campaigners in Lahore, Pakistan scored a victory this week in their ongoing struggle to stop the government from building an elevated tram-line near Lahore Fort and Shalamar Gardens, part of a royal complex established in the 16th century under Mughal rule and today a UNESCO world heritage site.

Lahore Fort, ca 1889 (see citation below) *

 
On January 28, 2016 the Lahore High Court reportedly issued an injunction suspending all work within 60 meters of both sites. This ruling follows an intervention by UNESCO last week calling on the government to consider alternate routes that would not risk damaging the site.

Congratulations to those involved in stopping an ill-considered plan; we can only hope that the government accepts the ruling and explores alternate routes.

* Photography Collection, The New York Public Library. Lahore Gate, entrance to the fort at Delhi. Retrieved from http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47d9-6246-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99