The Institute of Architects Pakistan (IAP), Lahore Chapter, while voicing concern over the demolition plan of Lahore High Court building, has demanded of the authorities to conserve this historic building in its original form.
Addressing a news conference at Lahore Press Club on Sunday, IAP chairperson Imrana Tiwana and other members of the executive committee of IAP said that LHC building is not only a masterpiece of architecture but also a symbol of culture and history. Therefore, its demolition plan must be abandoned immediately.
They viewed that the LHC building is not very old as compared to other listed buildings in the city; therefore, it could be easily conserved for the coming generations.
"Such buildings are history in themselves, hence, they must be conserved and not demolished," they asserted.
They also called for upholding laws and regulations of Pakistan, including the Punjab Premises Ordinance 1985, providing protection to the culture & Built Heritage of Pakistan.
"IAP supports International Convention and Preservation of Culture and Heritage to which Pakistan is a signatory." They further said that any action to be taken on protected/listed buildings should take the opinion of a technical committee prior to the implementation of the proposed plan.
Imrana said that the Institute had passed a resolution advocating the stoppage of the demolition of the LHC historic structure in its meeting on September 3, 2004. One-third of the corridor ceiling and corridor facade of the historic block of the southern end of the west wing of the building had already been demolished on the orders of Chief Justice and it is indeed heartening to learn that owing to the protest by citizens of Lahore, the demolition has been temporarily halted.
"We on behalf of the citizens of Pakistan and more specifically of Lahore appeal to all those in the government to put an immediate stop to any further demolition of Lahore High Court building," she said.
Highlighting the technical aspects of the building, Fauzia Qureshi said that 15 percent of the building has been demolished while 85 percent is still standing; therefore, it could be restored in its original form.
She also called for conservation of other listed historical buildings and stressed the need for creation of a separate ministry called 'Heritage Ministry' at federal level for the conservation and protection of historical assets.
Highlighting the importance of LHC building, prominent Architect Nayyar Ali Dada said that it ranks second among 100 listed buildings of the city in terms of importance; therefore, it needs to be conserved at all costs.
He added that conservation of historical buildings is a specialised field and architects and engineers having expertise in this field are available in Pakistan to provide and advise the government.
He proposed that if necessary the affected parts of the building, like ceilings, could be re-constructed but to demolish the entire building was a condemnable action.