A century-old banyan tree, regarded by residents as a living symbol of ancestral heritage, was cut down in Ramdiwali village, also known as Arfa Karim Nagar.
The banyan tree stood at the dera (farm outhouse) of the late Chaudhry Muhammad Akbar Randhawa and was believed to be around 114 years old. Villagers said the tree had long been seen as a part of their shared history rather than private property.
According to residents, Baba Akbar had mentioned about eight years ago that the tree was already 109 years old at that time. He passed away five years ago, confirming that the banyan had lived for more than a century before it was felled and sold.
Local resident Yasin Masih said elders considered the banyan tree a legacy of their forefathers, who migrated from Amritsar in eastern Punjab in the late 19th century. The settlement expanded after canal irrigation from the Jhang Branch made the land fertile. Another account traces the village’s origins back to the British era around 1880.
For decades, the banyan tree served as a communal gathering place. Elders would sit under its shade, share drinking water, and hold daily discussions, villagers recalled.
Zahid Akbar said that despite objections from locals, some family members sold the historic tree for what residents described as a “meagre” amount of Rs. 300,000.
Dr Ijaz Tabassam, a retired scientist from the Ayub Agricultural Research Institute, said banyan trees hold deep cultural importance and symbolise longevity, shelter, and stability in South Asian society.
Dr Shakeel Yousaf called the cutting of the tree a “murder of local history,” warning that increasing land purchases by property developers are rapidly erasing rural heritage and collective memory.