Pakistan Halts Shadman Chowk Renaming, Calls Bhagat Singh a 'Criminal'

A proposed plan to rename Shadman Chowk in Lahore after the iconic Indian freedom fighter Bhagat Singh and install a statue of him has been scrapped, following objections raised by a retired military official.

The district government of Lahore, capital of Pakistan's Punjab province, submitted a written response to the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday, revealing that the decision had been revised based on the observations of Commodore (retd.) Tariq Majeed.

In its reply to a contempt petition filed by the Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation Pakistan Chairman Imtiaz Rasheed Qureshi, the Metropolitan Corporation of Lahore stated that Majeed, a member of the government committee tasked with the proposal, had presented serious allegations against Bhagat Singh.

According to Majeed's observations, Bhagat Singh was "not a revolutionary but a criminal" and, in today's terms, a "terrorist." The retired Commodore specifically referred to Singh's killing of British police officer John P. Saunders, which led to his execution, and argued that this disqualified Singh from being honored in this manner.

Majeed also questioned Singh's ideological influences, claiming he was "influenced by religious leaders hostile to Muslims," and further criticized the Bhagat Singh Foundation, alleging it was working against Islamic ideology and Pakistani culture. He argued that it was unacceptable to name a public space after an atheist in Pakistan, where Islamic teachings prohibit the creation of statues.

In response, Imtiaz Rasheed Qureshi vowed to pursue legal action against Commodore Majeed, challenging the allegations and reaffirming Bhagat Singh's legacy as a revolutionary and martyr. "Bhagat Singh was undisputedly a great revolutionary and freedom fighter," Qureshi told news agency PTI. "I will send a legal notice to Commodore Majeed for these serious allegations."

Qureshi's foundation has filed a contempt petition in the LHC, asserting that the court's previous orders, issued by Justice Shahid Jamil Khan in 2018, to rename Shadman Chowk after Bhagat Singh and commemorate him, had not been followed. The petition calls for the implementation of the LHC’s directive, which aimed to honor Singh's sacrifice.

Justice Shams Mehmood Mirza, overseeing the contempt case, adjourned the hearing until January 17, 2025, due to the unavailability of the petitioner’s counsel.

Bhagat Singh, who was hanged alongside fellow revolutionaries Rajguru and Sukhdev on March 23, 1931, at the age of 23, remains one of the most revered freedom fighters in the Indian subcontinent. His execution by British colonial authorities was a pivotal moment in India's struggle for independence.

The controversy surrounding the proposed renaming of Shadman Chowk underscores the ongoing debate over how figures like Bhagat Singh are remembered and celebrated, particularly in Pakistan, where his legacy is viewed through a complex historical and ideological lens.

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