LAHORE: The Punjab government, the Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) on Tuesday signed an agreement to extend technical and financial support for the renovation of the Lahore Fort.

On July 7, the Pakistan government and government of France, represented by French Development Agency, signed a 22-million euro financing agreement to extend technical and financial support for the renovation of Lahore Fort.

On Tuesday, the lending agreement was signed by AFD and the Punjab government in the presence of the implementing agencies, the Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC).

The HURL – Heritage and Urban Regeneration in Lahore – project aims to protect and restore a unique heritage site in Pakistan. The focus areas will be promoting tourism, generating additional economic activities and building climate change resilience for local communities.

The Fort and the WCLA comprise a group of various monuments of exceptional historical and cultural value, and dense ancient neighbourhoods. The listing of the fort as a World Heritage Site in Danger in 1981 by UNESCO highlighted the many threats.

Since 2012, the Punjab government, the WCLA and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) began a decade-long conservation initiative to restore and develop the site.

French Ambassador to Pakistan Nicolas Galey said: “France is proud to be part of the ambitious plan of the Punjab government to develop and promote the unique cultural heritage of Lahore. The rehabilitation and development of the Lahore Fort surroundings will be a powerful engine of sustainable economic development of the city by increasing the tourist attractiveness of the places and improving the living conditions of the riparian populations.”

The financing of the HURL project will span over five years. It is expected to contribute to the restoration and enhancement of the Lahore Fort, strengthen its resilience, generate additional income and employment, especially for women and the transgender community, expand tourism development by including the neighbourhoods around the fort (buffer zone) as an interface for growth and build the capacity of WCLA and its partners.

In financing this project, the AFD is strengthening its commitment towards urban development in Lahore. This landmark project is the first in the French government’s steps to help in heritage rehabilitation throughout South Asia.

WCLA Director General Kamran Lashri told Dawn that the agreement was signed to rehabilitate and renovate a buffer zone of Lahore Fort. He said the authority would develop and reconstruct Taxali Gate, establish underground parking, develop new sewerage and drainage.

He said the authority would rehabilitate Summer Palace in the fort and would also develop a museum and start electric carts for the tourists. He said the act would promote tourism and would also help the locals get new avenues of earning by developing the area.

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2022