Just before the advent of British, Delhi having been ruled for centuries by Central Asian dynasties was a culturally rich Islamic city, while Lahore having become the capital of the Sikh Empire, had gathered a unique Punjabi footprint.
Having seeded divide, as the British departed the Indian subcontinent in 1947, within a few months the cultures reversed. As Hindus and Sikhs fled eastwards and the Muslims westwards, overnight, Delhi turned into a Punjabi city and Lahore into an exclusively Islamic city!
I was fortunate to have free access inside the Attock Fort in Pakistan, which today is a restricted area as it serves as a base for the Pakistan Army. Attock Fort’s 500 years of formidable history has awed me as it has witnessed many dynasties battle over its control. Amongst its many gates, I was particularly attracted towards the ‘DELHI GATE’ and the ‘LAHORE GATE’. Walking through them, I reverberated with the song,
Ajeeb Daastaan Hai Yeh
Kahan Shuru Kahan Khatam
Yeh Manziley Hai Kaunsi
Na Voh Samajh Sakey Na Hum
Strange is this story
Where did it begin and where will it end?
What destiny is this
Neither they nor us will ever understand!
It is indeed a strange story of the fortunes of the two cities, Delhi and Lahore, which among the endless squabble between India and Pakistan, can’t be comprehended today!
Photographed in Jan 2017, during the research for the book “THE QUEST CONTINUES: LOST HERITAGE The Sikh Legacy in Pakistan”
