Professor Chaman Lal Dated:-30th September,2012
Professor& Former Chairperson
Centre of Indian Languages mediaSLL&CS)
Former Visiting Professor, The University of the West Indies, Trinidad Tobago
Former President JNUTA
Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi-110067
Naming of Shadman Chowk, Lahore as Bhagat Singh Chowk welcomed in India
New Delhi, Eminent personalities and groups from India have welcomed the renaming of Shadman Chowk in Lahore-Pakistan to Bhagat Singh Chowk on the occasion of birth anniversary of the martyr. Eminent journalist and author 'Without Fear', book on Bhagat Singh, Justice(Retd.) Rajinder Sachar, Editor of Bhagat Singh's documents and author of several books in many Indian languages on Bhagat Singh-Prof. Chaman Lal from JNU, New Delhi, activists from Indo-Pak Dosti Manch, Pakistan India People's Forum for Peace and Democracy(PIPFPD), National Forum of Forest People and Forest Workers(NFFPFW), People's Saarc, Bhagat Singh's family members, have welcomed the notification issued by Lahore officials to this effect as reported in Pakistan daily 'Dawn'(Link attached).
Pakistan civil and political groups have been demanding the renaming of Chowk, which was the location, where Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were actually hanged on 23rd March, 1931, as it was execution ground of Central Jail Lahore at that time. In 1961, the jail was demolished and new colony Shadman colony was set up and at execution ground Shadman Chowk was built. Civil society activists from both countries have been holding candle march at this location on every 23rd March and have many times themselves put up the signboard of 'Bhagat Singh Chowk'. This year on 23rd March, Kuldip Nayar has extracted promise from former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, whose party is ruling in Punjab (Pakistan) to get the chowk officially named as Bhagat Singh Chowk, that promised has been fulfilled on the birth anniversary of Bhagat Singh. Kuldip Nayar has complimented Nawaz Sharif and other Pakistani leaders for this gesture, strengthening Indo-Pak peace process further.
This year for the first time, Bhagat Singh's birth anniversary was celebrated in Dayal Singh College hall in Lahore on 28th September by Pakistan Labour party and 23 more organizations, where Bhagat Singh was described as the representative of struggling [people of whole Asia. The organisers demanded to set up a museum in birthplace of Bhagat Singh in Chak no. 105, Lyalpur Bange in Faislabad district. Advocate Iqbal Virk, who is now occupant of Bhagat Singh's birth house participated in the function and offered all cooperation in this regard.27 member Indian delegation, which included Bhagat Singh's nephew Kiranjit sandhu and author of several books on Bhagat Singh-Prof. Chaman Lal, could not join the jointly planned anniversary due to non-clearance of visa till last day.
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LAHORE, Sept 29: District Coordination Officer Noorul Amin Mengal on Saturday directed City District Government of Lahore officials to rename Shadman Chowk (roundabout) as Bhagat Singh Chowk.
Mr Mengal passed this direction to CDGL Chief Publicity Officer Dr Nadeem after a man requested him at Town Hall to rename the spot as Chaudhry Rehmat Ali Chowk.
"You know who Bhagat Singh was. He was martyred at this place (Shadman Chowk) after he fought the British army by raising a slogan of revolution in the subcontinent," the DCO argued.
He said all citizens, including Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus and Christians, had equal rights under the Constitution of Pakistan and no one should raise any objection to the decision.
He ordered the officials to immediately place a board indicating Bhagat Singh Chowk besides issuing a public notice in the print media for seeking public comments.
The DCO also ordered the officials to rename Jail Road Chowk (near PIC/Services Hospital) as Chaudhry Rehmat Ali Chowk.
The DCO told Dawn the decision to rename Shadman Chowk was an acknowledgement of the revolutionary spirit of Bhagat Singh for the subcontinent.
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