In a devastating blow to the historical significance of Lahore’s Government Associates College on Lake Road, a banyan (bargad) tree estimated to be nearly eight decades old was reportedly chopped down on Saturday.
The tree, named Allah Rakha, among several others on the campus, held deep roots in the local community and was steeped in tradition.
According to locals, the banyan tree was named by Maulana Abdul Haq Abbas, founder of Anjuman Madrasatul Banat. The organization has managed several educational institutions dating back to the pre-partition era and was established when Abbas relocated to the area from Jalandhar in August 1947.
Dr. Amin Khan, President of the Anjuman and Maulana’s grandson shared that the tree held significant value to the community.
He revealed that Maulana Abbas discovered the tree as a small sapling and worked with students to restore and protect it, even building a brick fence around it.
The tree not only survived but flourished, growing to a girth of over three meters and providing shelter to 350 house sparrows, as well as students during the summer months.
The loss of the banyan tree is a somber reminder of the destruction of the past and serves as a call to preserve and cherish the remaining remnants of our heritage.
People in the area claim that the college principal secretly sold the tree on Saturday as it was a holiday and no one was there to prevent its chopping. They protested and managed to save just one branch of the tree.
The administrator of Anjuman Madrasatul Banat, Ilyas Shah, has also filed a case, contending that the college has no authority to modify the campus because it is owned by the Supreme Court.