GUJAR KHAN: The 16th-century well located on G.T. Road, Mandra near Gujar Khan has been razed and ravaged by the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (Pera) force during ‘operation clean up’ for removal of illegally established kiosks and shops along dual carriage, the residents pointed out.

Sher Shah Suri, the emperor of this part of the subcontinent, has the fame for constructing the grand trunk road from Kabul to Delhi and Bengal, and he had also established roadside inns (Sarai) and rest houses for the guards and horse riders, as he had also introduced the fastest postal communication system of in his time.

A sarai at Mandra town, also serving as a stable, like many others, was converted to a police station, while a wide and paved well also existed till today.

According to Khalid Qureshi, a journalist from Mandra, said that this well has also been catering water needs of Mandra Railway Station through a pipeline and a pump, while residents were also getting water through their personal motor pumps.

According to Mr Qureshi, this historic pump was also covered with an arch constructed by the engineers of Sher Shah Suri.

He further pointed out that if the public health engineering authorities’ plan was a water supply system for the population of Mandra town, this well could be a good source of drinking water for residents.

The residents have lamented that this historic monument was bulldozed by the operators engaged for the removal of encroachments around, and they also flung all the debris and rubbish into the well, rendering it unusable for drinking purposes.

They have urged the heritage and culture minister and the chief secretary of Punjab to take notice of the ravaging of the monument of the past and order its restoration to its original condition.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2025