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Our Haunting Heritage (Haweli Soojhan Singh)

The palatial haveli of Rai Bahadur Soojan Singh is in shambles these days due to lack of proper maintenance. The grand palace built in 1893 housed several antique objects such as Victorian furniture, expensive Chinese silverware in its grand rooms, but now all the rooms lie vacant giving it a haunted look.

Historians said the haveli glowed like gold in evening when all the huge lamps and chandeliers were lighted in all of its 45 massive rooms spread over four stories. The majestic wood-work over the doors and windows are now being destroyed by termites and seepage through the walls has made the whole structure of the building weak raising fears that it could crumble any day.

General Zia Ul Haq handed it over to nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan to develop a science college for girls but the plan failed. Years later Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed planned to convert the building into a campus for the Fatima Jinnah Women’s University, but the plan again couldn’t see the light of the day.

Now, the government is mulling over an idea of starting a School of Cultures, Heritage, Architecture and Designs for girls, but due to the lack of funds the plan may also never materialize. With the country’s politics going for a topsy-turvy each day it is hard to believe that the lost glory of Soojan Singh’s haveli would ever return.

Taken: PhotoWalk, Bhabra Bazar, Old Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan.