Khidki se deakho to raste pe koi nahi tha

Khidki se deakho to raste pe koi nahi tha,  Khidki se dekha to raste pe koi nahi tha,  Raste pe ja ke dekha to khidki pe koinahi tha...

same blood group

Doctor says to pathan: Appka aur aapki biwi ka blood group ek hi hai? Pathan: Hoga zaror hoga; 25 saal se amara koon peeta aay..!

1 advice, request, wish, lie, hope

1 advice-take care,  1 Request-dont change,  1 Wish dont forget me,  1 Lie-I Hate U, 1 Truth-I Miss U,  1 Hope-We 'll always be Good Friend!

When we think about our problems

When we think about our problems, they grow D_O_U_B_L_E, But when we lough about them.. they become O O O O O O bubbles! Have a bubbly life!

Help, love, give, smile, think

Help ever... hurt never...  love ever.. hate naver...  give ever... except never...  smile ever... cry never...  think me ever..forget me never...!

As long as we have Friendship, each day is never a waste.

As long as we have memories, yesterday remains; as long as we have hope, tomorrow awaits. As long as we have Friendship, each day is never a waste.

FRIENDSHIP is like a tree

FRIENDSHIP is like a tree...  It is not MEASURED on how TALL it could be, but is on how DEEP the ROOTS HAVE GROWN...

Don't Love 1, don't Love 2, but Love 1 who Luvs u!

Love is like a bird, if u hold it tightly it dies, if u hold it slightly , it flies, plz take good care of it.. Don't Luv 1, don't Luv2, but Luv 1 who Luvs u!

I have a special meal for you

I have a special meal for you:  A glass of CARE,  A plate of LOVE,  A spoon of PEACE,  A fork of TRUST,  and  A bowl of HAPPINESS..  so hog nicely!

The test of friendship

The test of friendship dosen't comes when u R 2gether. It comes when u part ways & u realize that despite the distance, the friendship is still there...

touches your heart

A true friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart.

Laila Majnu

Majnu Ko Laila Ka Sms Nahi Aiya.. Majnu Ne 3 Din Se Khana Nahi Khaya.. Majnu Marne Wala Tha Laila Ke Pyar Mai.. Aur Laila Bethi Thi SmS Free Hone Ke Intezar Mai..

Dil mein tamaam hasarteiN liye

Door waadiyoN mein dhundley badal chupkar parbat se milne ka intzaar karte hain,  Dil mein tamaam hasarteiN liye hum aapka intzaar karte hain

Aap jaise log hume kuch khas lagte hai.

Aap jaise log hume kuch khas lagte hai. 
mann me har waqt hum ek aas rakte hai, 
jaane kab aa jaye sms aapka 
is liye cell ko dil ke pass rakte hai

Wagah Border Lahore

Wagah ( Urdu: واہگہ, Punjabi: ਵਾਘਾ) is the only road border crossing between Pakistan and India and lies on the Grand Trunk Road between the cities of Lahore and Amritsar (in India).

The evening flag lowering ceremony at the India-Pakistan International Border near Wagah.

The Wagah border, often called the "Berlin wall of Asia", is a ceremonial border on the India–Pakistan Border where each evening there is a retreat ceremony called 'lowering of the flags', which has been held since 1959. At that time there is an energetic parade by the Border Security Force (B.S.F) of India and the Pakistan Rangers soldiers. It may appear slightly aggressive and even hostile to foreigners but in fact the paraders are imitating the pride and anger of a Cockerel. Troops of each country put on a show in their uniforms with their colorful turbans. Border officials from the two countries sometimes walk over to the offices on the other side for day to day affairs. The happenings at this border post have been a barometer of the India-Pakistan relations over the years.

Samjhauta Express, the train service between Lahore and Delhi, plies twice a week fromAttari railway station, 5 km from Wagah. The National Highway of India starts from Wagah Border, and is the transit point for the Delhi–Lahore Bus service operating within the Punjabbetween Amritsar and Lahore, which was started in 2004 as relations between the two countries improved.

Pakistani soldiers at the border in 2004

History:-

During British rule the village was part of the Lahore Division of British Punjab. In 1947 the division, like the village, was split between India and Pakistan.

Since independence in 1947, porters have been carrying goods across the Wagah border.This was the only road link between the two nations between the closure of the border crossing at Ganda Singh Wala / Hussainiwala in the 1970s and the opening of Aman Setu in Kashmir for the start of theSrinagar–Muzaffarabad Bus in 1999.

On August 14–15, 2001, the respective Independence days of Pakistan and India, the candle-lighting ceremony at the Wagah border, in which 40,000 Pakistani citizens and 15,000 Indian citizens took part, was seen as a reflection of the changing public mood over India-Pakistan reconciliation; such candlelight vigils and the yearly 'Midnight Peace Festivals' were also reported in subsequent years.

There have been many calls for the opening up of Wagah border to promote Indo-Pak trade through increased transport between India and Pakistan.^[15] In March 2005, a delegation of the Indian Border Security Force met the Pakistan Rangers at the Wagah border to discuss the border issue after three years since the 2001–2002 India–Pakistan standoff.

In May 2005, Pakistan allowed the import of five specified food items, free of tax via Wagah border to tide over shortages in the domestic market; eventually, in an unprecedented move, on 1 October 2006, trucks carrying goods crossed the Wagah border for the first time since the independence of Pakistan and India over 60 years ago. The 1,400 Pakistani and 1,300 Indian porters employed till then were employed in unloading lorries and trucks, with this the bi-lateral arrangement which accounted for $1.3 billion (£650 million) a year in trade in 2007 and was expected to exceed $10 billion by 2010.^[19] The trade has further improved since then through the Wagah post, despite the ups and downs of Indo-Pakistani relations.

As the relations between the two nations improved, the joint talks to tone down the sunset ceremony were held between BSF and Pakistan rangers, and the two later started "reorienting" their personnel involved in the ceremony, effects of which were seen by November 2006, when the evening ceremony at the border was considerably less aggressive than in previous decades on both sides. With over 8000 people visiting the border on an average day just on the Indian side, governments have started developing Wagah as a tourist destination, improving tourist and custom facilities.^[22] The Indian government plans to develop a global tourist complex at the Wagah-Attari border, which lies 30 km away from Amritsar.

In July 2010, as part of a move initiated by India, both countries agreed to tone down the aggressiveness exhibited by soldiers during the gate closing ceremony because the soldiers hurt their feet and knees performing the goose-stepping every day.

Welcome to India - Signboard in Wagha, Attari

Porters carrying goods across Wagah border

Audience at the evening ceremony, Wagah border (November 2008).

Babul Azad-Entry gate on the Pakistan side of Wagha Border

Shalimar Gardens (Lahore)

The Shalimar Gardens (Punjabi, Urdu: شالیمار باغ), sometimes written Shalamar Gardens, is a Persian garden and it was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan inLahore, modern day Pakistan. Construction began in 1641 CE (1051 AH) and was completed the following year. The project management was carried out under the superintendence of Khalilullah Khan, a noble of Shah Jahan's court, in cooperation with Ali Mardan Khan and Mulla Alaul Maulk Tuni. The Shalimar Gardens are located near Baghbanpura along the Grand Trunk Road some 5 kilometers northeast of the main Lahore city. There are five geographical sources of inspiration for Shalimar Gardens: Central Asia, Kashmir, West Punjab, Persia, and the Delhi Sultanate.They are not to be confused with the Shalimar Gardens (Jammu and Kashmir)


Architecture:- 
The Shalimar Gardens are laid out in the form of an oblong parallelogram, surrounded by a high brick wall, which is famous for its intricate fretwork. This garden was made on the concept of Char Bhagh. The gardens measure 658 meters north to south and 258 meters east to west. In 1981, Shalimar Gardens was included as a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the Lahore Fort, under the UNESCO Convention concerning the protection of the world's cultural and natural heritage sites in 1972.

The three level terraces of the Gardens

The Gardens have been laid out from south to north in three descending terraces, which are elevated by 4–5 metres (13-15 feet) above one another. The three terraces have names in Urdu as follows:

• The upper terrace named Farah Baksh meaning Bestower of Pleasure.
• The middle terrace named Faiz Baksh meaning Bestower of Goodness.
• The lower terrace named Hayat Baksh meaning Bestower of life.

Shah Nahar : Irrigation of the Gardens

An example of a Mughal garden

Blueprint of Shalimar Bagh, Lahore

To irrigate the Gardens, a canal named Shah Nahar meaning Royal canal, later also known as Hansti nahar, meaning Laughing canal was brought from Rajpot (present day Madhpur in India), a distance of over 161 kilometers. The canal intersected the Gardens and discharged into a large marble basin in the middle terrace.

410 fountains

From this basin, and from the canal, rise 410 fountains, which discharge into wide marble pools. The surrounding area is rendered cooler by the flowing of the fountains, which is a particular relief for visitors during Lahore's blistering summers, with temperature sometimes exceeding 120 degrees fahrenheit. The distribution of the fountains is as follows:

• The upper level terrace has 105 fountains.
• The middle level terrace has 152 fountains.
• The lower level terrace has 153 fountains.
• All combined, the Gardens therefore have 410 fountains.

The Gardens have 5 water cascades including the great marble cascade and Sawan Bhadoon.

Buildings of the Gardens

The buildings of the Gardens include:

Sawan Bhadumpavilions Naqar Khana and its buildings Khwabgah or Sleeping chambers Hammam or Royal bath The Aiwan or Grand hall

Aramgah or Resting place Khawabgah of Begum Sahib or Dream place of the emperor's wife Baradaries or summer pavilions to enjoy the coolness created by the Gardens' fountains Diwan-e-Khas-o-Aam or Hall of special & ordinary audience with the emperor Two gateways and minarets in the corners of the Gardens

Trees of the Gardens

Some of the varieties of trees that were planted included:

Almond Apple Apricot Cherry Gokcha Mango Mulberry	Peach Plum Poplar Quince Seedless Sapling of Cypress Shrubs Sour & sweet oranges
Numerous other varieties of odoriferous (fragrant) and non odoriferous and fruit giving plants

Site History:- 

The site of the Shalimar Gardens originally belonged to one of the noble Zaildar families in the region, well known as Mian Family Baghbanpura. The family was also given the Royal title of 'Mian' by the Mughal Emperor, for its services to the Empire. Mian Muhammad Yusuf, then the head of the Mian family, donated the site of Ishaq Pura to the Emperor Shah Jahan, after pressure was placed on the family by the royal engineers who wished to build on the site due to its good position and soil. In return, Shah Jahan granted the Mian family governance of the Shalimar Gardens. The Shalimar Gardens remained under the custodianship of this family for more than 350 years.

In 1962, the Shalimar Gardens were nationalised by General Ayub Khan because leadingMian family members had opposed his imposition of martial law in Pakistan.

The Mela Chiraghan festival used to take place in the Gardens, until President Ayub Khanordered against it in 1958.

The Shalimar Gardens in Lahore

Lahore Most Beautiful City of Pakistan

Lahore (Punjabi: لہور, Urdu: لاہور; pronounced [laːˈɦɔːr]  ) is the capital of thePakistan province of Punjab and the second largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi. The city lies along the Ravi River, situated approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) from Wagah border crossing and is 32 kilometres (20 mi) from the Indian city of Amritsar.

Historically, Lahore has been a center of cultural heritage for many civilizations. It successively served as regional capital of the empires of the Shahi kingdoms in the 11th century, the Ghaznavids in the 12th century, the Ghurid State in the 12th and 13th century, the Mughal Empire in the 16th century, the Sikh Empire in the early 19th century, and it was the capital of the Punjab region under the British Raj in the mid 19th and early 20th century. The traditional capital of Punjab for a thousand years, Lahore was the cultural center of Northern India extending from Peshawar to New Delhi.^[16] Mughal structures such as theBadshahi Mosque, the Lahore Fort, Shalimar Gardens, and the mausolea of Jehangir andNur Jehan are popular tourist attractions for the city. Lahore is also home to many Britishcolonial structures built in the Mughal-Gothic style, such as the Lahore High Court, theGeneral Post Office, Lahore Museum and many older universities including the University of the Punjab. The Lahore Zoo, world's third oldest zoo, is also situated here. Lahore is also referred to as the cultural heart of Pakistan as it hosts most of the arts, cuisine, festivals, film making, music, gardening and intelligentsia of the country. Lahore is also known for its affiliation with poets and artists; it has the largest number of educational institutions in the country and some of the finest gardens in the continent. It is also an important religious center as it is a home to many temples, mosques and shrines like Data Durbar Complex.

According to the 1998 census, Lahore's population was 6,318,745. A mid-2006 government estimate now puts the population at approximately 10 million. It is ranked 40 in the most populated urban areas in the world and the 8th largest city within the Organization of the Islamic Conference. In 2008, Lahore was ranked as a city with High Sufficiency to become a Gamma world city. In 2010 it was ranked by The Guardian as the 2nd Best Tourist Destination in Pakistan.

Some Beautiful Collection of Pictures from Lahore: 

The Sinclair Hall roundabout (Forman Christian College) covered in hail due to a hailstorm occurred on 26th February 2011.

The Ravi River flows on the north-western side of Lahore.

Head office of the PIA in Lahore

The Liberty Roundabout or Al-Falah Square is an important economic center of Lahore.

Aerial view of a roundabout at Sukh Chayn Gardens Housing Estate in Lahore

The Lahore Ring Road

The M-2: the Lahore-Islamabad motorway

The Wagah Border on the Grand Trunk Road near Lahore and Amritsar. The road was historically the main route of travel from Lahore to Delhi Today, it is one of the few trade routes between India and Pakistan

Korean-owned Daewoo City Bus Service operates four routes within Lahore.

An aerial view of the Walled City of Lahore.

Sacred Heart Cathedral.

Minaret of Badshahi Mosque in background, viewed from the roof of Cooco's Den

Cooco's cafe, a famous restaurant in the Old city of Lahore

The tomb of Allama Iqbal.

An artificial waterfall at Jilani Park.

Sukh Chayn, a joint venture between the governments of Pakistan and China

Shalamar Gardens is a Persian garden built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan

Quaid-e-Azam Library, Lahore

Cricket is the most popular sport in Lahore.

History of Lahore

Origins

Etymology of Lahore, Origins of Lahore, and Hindu Raj in Lahore

A legend based on oral traditions holds that Lahore, known in ancient times as Lavapuri("City of Lava" in Sanskrit), was founded by Prince Lava or Loh, the son of Rama, the Hindu deity, while Kasur was founded by his twin brother Prince Kusha. To this day,Lahore Fort has a vacant temple dedicated to Lava (also pronounced Loh, hence Loh-awar or "The Fort of Loh").

Ptolemy, the celebrated 2nd-century Egyptian astronomer and geographer, mentions in hisGeographia a city called Labokla situated on the route between the Indus River and Palibothra, or Pataliputra (Patna) mostly, in a tract of country called Kasperia (Kashmir). It was described as extending along the rivers Bidastes or Vitasta (Jhelum), Sandabal orChandra Bhaga (Chenab), and Adris or Iravati (Ravi). This city may have been ancient Lahore.

The oldest authentic document about Lahore was written anonymously in 982. It is calledHudud-i-Alam (The Regions of the World). In 1927 it was translated into English byVladimir Fedorovich Minorsky and published in Lahore. In this document, Lahore is mentioned as a shehr or town inhabited by infidels "impressive temples, large markets and huge orchards." It refers to "two major markets around which dwellings exist," and it also mentions "the mud walls that enclose these two dwellings to make it one." The original document is currently held in the British Museum. Lahore was called by different names throughout history. To date there is no conclusive evidence as to when it was founded. Some historians trace the history of the city as far back as 4000 years ago. However, historically, it has been proved that Lahore is at least 2,000 years old. Hieun-tsang, the famous Chinese pilgrim has given a vivid description of Lahore which he visited in the early parts of the 7th century AD. Lying on the main trade and invasion routes to South Asia, Lahore has been ruled and plundered by a number of dynasties and hordes.

Ghaznavid Empire to Delhi Sultanate

Early Muhammadan period in Lahore

An 11th-century house in the Walled City

Data Durbar shrine, during urs at night

Lahore appears as the capital of the Punjab for the first time underAnandapala- the Hindu Shahi king who is referred to as the ruler of (hakim i lahur)-after leaving the earlier capital of Waihind

Few references to Lahore remain from before its capture by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni in the eleventh century. The sultan took Lahore after a long siege and battle in which the city was torched and depopulated. In 1021, Sultan Mahmud appointed Malik Ayaz to the throne and made Lahore the capital of the Ghaznavid Empire of India. As the first Muslim governor of Lahore, Ayaz rebuilt and repopulated the city. He added many important features, such as city gates and a masonry fort, built in 1037–1040 on the ruins of the previous one, which had been demolished in the fighting (as recorded by Munshi Sujan Rae Bhandari, author of the Khulasatut Tawarikh in 1695–96). The present Lahore Fort stands on the same location. Under Ayaz's rule, the city became a cultural and academic center, renowned for poetry. The tomb of Malik Ayaz can still be seen in the Rang Mahal commercial area of town.

After the fall of the Ghaznavid Empire, Lahore was ruled by various Turk dynasties known as the Delhi Sultanate, including the Khiljis,Tughlaqs, Sayyid, Lodhis and Suris. When Sultan Qutb-ud-din Aibak was crowned here in 1206, he became the first Muslim sultan in South Asia. It was not until 1524 that Lahore became part of India's Mughal Empire. During the reign of Qutbuddin Aibak, Lahore was known as the 'Ghazni of India'. Scholars and poets from as far away as Kashghar, Bukhara, Samarkand, Iraq, Khorasan and Herat, gathered in Lahore and made it a city of learning. Under Aibak, Lahore had more poets of Persia than any other Islamic city.

 Mughal Era in Lahore

The entrance to the Badshahi Mosquebuilt by the Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb

Lahore reached the zenith of its glory during the Mughal rule from 1524 to 1752. The Mughals, who were famous as builders, gave Lahore some of its finest architectural monuments, many of which are extant today.

Wazir Khan Mosque

Mughal Emperor Jehangir's mausoleum in Shahdara, Lahore

From 1524 to 1752, Lahore was part of the Mughal Empire. Lahore grew under emperor Babur; from 1584 to 1598, under the emperors Akbar the Great andJahangir, the city served as the empire's capital. Lahore reached the peak of its architectural glory during the rule of the Mughals, many of whose buildings and gardens have survived the ravages of time. Lahore's reputation for beauty fascinated the English poet John Milton, who wrote "Agra and Lahore, the Seat of the Great Mughal" in 1670. During this time, the massive Lahore Fort was built. A few buildings within the fort were added by Akbar's son, Mughal emperor Jahangir, who is buried in the city. Jahangir's son, Shahjahan Burki, was born in Lahore. He, like his father, extended the Lahore Fort and built many other structures in the city, including the Shalimar Gardens. The last of the great Mughals, Aurangzeb, who ruled from 1658 to 1707, built the city's most famous monuments, theBadshahi Masjid and the Alamgiri Gate next to the Lahore Fort.

During the 17th century, as Mughal power dwindled, Lahore was often invaded, and government authority was lacking. The great Punjabi poet Baba Waris Shah said of the situation, "khada peeta wahy da, baqi Ahmad Shahy da" — "we have nothing with us except what we eat and wear, all other things are for Ahmad Shah". Ahmad Shah Durrani captured remnants of the Mughal Empire and had consolidated control over the Punjab and Kashmir regions by 1761.

The 1740s were years of chaos, and the city had nine different governors between 1745 and 1756. Invasions and chaos in local government allowed bands of warring Sikhs to gain control in some areas. The Sikhs were gaining momentum at an enormous rate. In 1801, the twelve Sikh mislsjoined into one to form a new empire and sovereign Sikh state ruled by Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

Sikh reign

Sikh Rule in Lahore

Samadhi of Ranjit Singh

During the late 18th century, frequent invasions by Ahmad Shah Abdali and the Durrani Empire led to a lack of governance in the Punjab region. The Sikh Misls began to gain territory and eventually the Bhangi Misl captured Lahore. When Zaman Shah invaded Punjab again in 1799 Ranjit Singhwas able to make gains in the chaos. He defeated Zaman in a battle between Lahore andAmritsar. The citizens of Lahore, encouraged by Sada Kaur, offered him the city and he was able to take control of it in a series of battles with the Bhangi Misl and their allies. Lahore served as the capital city of the Sikh Empire. While much of Lahore's Mughal era fabric lay in ruins by the end of eighteenth century, rebuilding efforts under the Sikhs were shaped by and indebted to Mughal practice. Ranjit Singh moved into the Mughal palace in Lahore's citadel. By 1812 he had mostly refurbished the city's defenses by adding a second circuit of outer walls that followed the outline of Akbar's original walls and were separated from them by a moat. The maharaja also partially restored Shah Jahan's decaying gardens at Shalimar [disambiguation needed], and British maps of the area surrounding Lahore dating from the mid-nineteenth century show that walled private gardens - many of them bearing the names of prominent Sikh nobles - continued in the Mughal pattern under Sikh rule. The Sikh court continued to endow religious architecture in the city, including a number of Sikh gurdwaras, Hindu temples, and mosques. In short, the decaying structures and architecture of Lahore was restored by the emperor. The Empire of the Sikhs was most exceptional in that it allowed men from religions other than their own to rise to commanding positions of authority. Besides the Sikh, Muslim and the Hindu feature as prominent administrators. The Christians formed a part of the militia of the Sikhs.

British Raj

Map of Lahore drawn up during the rule of the British, 1893

Maharajah Ranjit Singh made Lahore his capital and was able to expand the kingdom to theKhyber Pass and also included Jammu and Kashmir, while keeping the British from expanding across the River Sutlej for more than 40 years. After his death in 1839 the internecine fighting between the Sikhs and several rapid forfeitures of territory by his sons, along with the intrigues of the Dogras and two Anglo-Sikh wars, eventually led to British control of the Lahore Darbar ten years later. For the British, Punjab was a frontier province, because Lahore had boundaries withAfghanistan and Persia. Therefore, the Punjabis, unlike the Bengalis and the Sindhis, were not allowed to use their mother tongue as an official language. The British first introduced Urdu as an official language in Punjab,^[42][43] including Lahore, allegedly due to a fear of Punjabi nationalism. Under British rule (1849–1947), colonial architecture in Lahore combined Mughal, Gothic andVictorian styles. Under British rule, Sir Ganga Ram (sometimes referred to as the father of modern Lahore) designed and built the General Post Office, Lahore Museum, Aitchison College, Mayo School of Arts (now the NCA), Ganga Ram Hospital, Lady Mclagan Girls High School, the chemistry department of the Government College University, the Albert Victor wing of Mayo Hospital, Sir Ganga Ram High School (now Lahore College for Women) the Hailey College of Commerce, Ravi Road House for the Disabled, the Ganga Ram Trust Building on Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam, and the Lady Maynard Industrial School.^[44] He also constructed Model Town, a suburb that has recently developed into a cultural center for Lahore's growing socioeconomic elite.

The GPO and YMCA buildings in Lahore commemorated the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria, an event marked by the construction of clock towers and monuments all over British India. Other important British buildings included the High Court, the Government College University,the museums, the National College of Arts, Montgomery Hall, Tollinton Market, the University of the Punjab (Old Campus) and the Provincial Assembly. Even today, Mall Road retains a variety of Gothic and Victorian style buildings built during the British Raj. At one end of The Mallstands the university, one of the most prestigious in Pakistan. The British also launched the city's first horse-racing club in 1924, starting a tradition that continues today at the Lahore Race Club.

Partition of India

Lahore played a special role in the independence movements of India. The 1929 Indian National Congress session was held at Lahore. In this Congress, the Declaration of the Independence of India was moved by Pandit Nehru and passed unanimously at midnight on 31 December 1929. On this occasion, the contemporary tricolour of India (with a chakra at its centre) was hoisted for the first time as a national flag, and thousands of people saluted it.

Lahore's prison was used by the British to detain revolutionary freedom fighters. Noted freedom fighter Jatin Das died in Lahore's prison after fasting for 63 days in protest of British treatment of political prisoners. One of the greatest martyrs in the history of Indian independence,Shaheed Sardar Bhagat Singh, was hanged here.

The most important session of the All India Muslim League (later the Pakistan Muslim League), demanding the creation of Pakistan, was held in Lahore in 1940. Muslims under the leadership of Quaid-e-Azam (Muhammad Ali Jinnah) demanded a separate homeland for Muslims of India in a document known as the Pakistan Resolution or the Lahore Resolution. It was during this session that Jinnah, the leader of the league, publicly proposed the Two-Nation Theory for the first time.

After the partition of British India, the Indian state of Punjab required a new capital city to replace Lahore, which had become part of Pakistan. After several plans to make additions to existing cities were found impractical for various reasons, it was decided to create a new city,Chandigarh.

Post-independence

Upon the creation of Pakistan, Lahore was made capital of the Punjab province in the new state of Pakistan. Almost immediately, large scale riots broke out among Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus, causing many deaths as well as damage to historic monuments—including the Lahore Fort, Badshahi mosque and other colonial buildings. With United Nations assistance, the government was able to rebuild Lahore, and most scars of the communal violence of independence were erased. Less than 20 years later, however, Lahore once again became a battleground in the War of 1965. The battlefield and trenches can still be observed today close to the Wahga border area.

After independence, Lahore lost much of its glory, but in the 1990s, Lahore once again gained its significance as an economic and cultural powerhouse through government reforms. The second Islamic Summit Conference was held in the city. In 1996 the International Cricket Council Cricket World Cup final match was held at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

The Walled City of Lahore known locally as the "Un-droone Shehr" is the oldest and most historic part of Lahore. The Punjab government embarked on a major project in 2009 to restore the Royal Trail (Shahi Guzar Gah) from Akbari Gate to the Lahore Fort with the help of theWorld Bank under the Sustainable Development of the Walled City of Lahore (SDWCL) project. The project aims at the Walled City development, at exploring and highlighting economic potential of the Walled City as a cultural heritage, exploring and highlighting the benefits of the SWDCL project for the residents, and at soliciting suggestions regarding maintenance of development and conservation of the Walled City.