The National Geographic magazine once assigned a reporter the task of covering the construction of a road in remote Africa. “Stay for a couple of months and observe the changes the road brings”. The reporter returned after a year and proclaimed that so great and fascinating was the transformation that even a year was barely enough to register it. Now this story stirred my sense of exploration but as Africa is a bit far away, I opted for something closer home, i.e., the Kasur-Depalpur Road. Kasur and Depalpur lie adjacent to the historical route that connected the subcontinent to Europe and Central Asia. This was the road that linked Delhi to Multan and then to the ports of Deebul, Keti Bandar and Thatta and thus, through the centuries, traders, warriors and tourists travelled this route and enriched the area, making Kasur-Depalpur some of the most developed cities.
The realignment of the Lahore-Multan road, carried out during the British Raj, left out these two cities and Kasur and Depalpur faded from prominence as the line of communication shifted from these areas. After Partition, these cities received another blow as, due to their close proximity to a hostile neighbour, no worthwhile investment in infrastructure took place there.
Kasur, located 55 km south of Lahore, is often referred to as its twin city. According to a fable, Lahore and Kasur were founded by the two sons of Ram Chander named Lahu and Kassu. Many prominent personalities rose from this soil including Baba Bulleh Shah, Baba Shah Kamal Chishti and Shah Inayat. It is also the birthplace of the Melody Queen, Noor Jehan, and Ustad Barre Ghulam Ali Khan. The Kasur museum proudly catalogues the rich history and heritage of the region while the flag ceremony at the Ganda Singhwala border, the spicy fish, kulfi-falooda, andrassay and Kasuri methi are other notable attractions for visitors.
On the other end of the road lies Depalpur which is known as the oldest living city in the subcontinent after Multan and Peshawar. Historians claim it has been in existence for 2,100 years, i.e. presumably as old as Harappa. The town was the provincial capital of the Tughlaq dynasty and saw its years of glory under their rule. In the 13th and 14th centuries Depalpur, with its strong citadel, acted as the frontier fortress to Delhi and played a significant role in the defence of the subcontinent against the Mongol invasions. Amir Khusro, the celebrated poet and musician, fought against the Mongol hordes and was imprisoned in this historic fort for some time.
The revival of the centuries-old traditional route via the Kasur-Depalpur Road will restore the lost glory of the area by bringing about opportunities of progress and development in the southern border belt. When the link to Multan via Vehari is complete it will become an alternate axis to the existing Lahore-Sahiwal-Multan road and will bring many faded cities back into limelight.
“We are happy that development has seen our door,” said one happy citizen. “It's a virgin area — rich yet unexplored. The road not only benefits Kasur-Depalpur districts but Lahore and Multan as well.”
It was a pleasure to drive down the wide and quiet road and the lush green farmlands were a treat to the eye. The Depalpur canal runs parallel to the road and many small tributaries have been carved out to irrigate a vast area. A lush orchard at a canal junction near Talwandi seemed an ideal place for some rest and refreshment and Rehman Baba, the owner of the orchard, served us the most delicious lassi.
“We produce the finest milk here,” he claimed proudly. The buffalos of this area are referred to as Black Gold due to their superior pedigree and productivity; however, milk consumption had, so far, remained localised. The villagers are now happy as lots of milk collection centres are coming up in villages since the new road quickly transports the perishable commodity to the thriving market of Lahore.
“It augurs well for the farmer also,” Rehman Baba said, with a ray of hope in his eyes. “Lahoris can expect fresher vegetables at their doorstep now.” He believes that the fertile lands have a lot of potential for the agro-industry. “We should go into food packaging now. The preservation processes introduced in the country for milk marketing have now matured and a whole range of fruits and vegetables can be canned for the markets of Middle East and Europe.”
Engineer Ahad of the Frontier Works Organisation of Pak-China Karakoram Highway and of the Torkham-Jalalabad road, where he had been working, said that the Kasur-Depalpur road is “a four-lane dual carriageway that will cater to the logistic requirements of the region for the next two decades.”
The road to progress is always under construction. Our country, which is predominantly agricultural, will greatly benefit from the development of its rural infrastructure. The advancement in IT has connected the entire country on a virtual level; now the investment in road construction will physically connect these isolated areas to the progress autobahn.
