The Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA), with the technical assistance of Aga Khan Trust for Culture Services Pakistan (AKCSP), has taken up the restoration of three historic houses located south of the Wazir Khan Mosque Square, which will be completed by December 2019.

As per the details, the structures were the property of the Punjab Auqaf Department and were leased to other people until acquired by WCLA by paying Rs32 million as compensation.

“It was an uphill task to get the properties vacated and we had to pay a huge compensation amount to acquire those properties as families were residing in them. Auqaf Department was also supportive in this process and it was important to do so in order to give the Wazir Khan Square its original feel back. The social mobilisation wing of WCLA has also played a vital role in this,” an official told Pakistan Today.

They added that a few properties were resting on the wall of the Wazir Khan Mosque and were a threat to the mosque’s structure. “All such constructions will be removed whereas the old ones, after being restored, would add a unique feature to the Wazir Khan Square which was recently conserved by WCLA and AKCSP.”

An AKSCSP official told the houses were at least 100 to 150 years old and had an antique architecture as well as stunning woodwork carried out within. “We are starting to restore the structures as their beauty has faded away over the years,” the official said while talking to this scribe.

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