In British India, the term �cantonment� meant a permanent military station or settlement where the soldiers lived, not in private houses, but in barracks, quarters, forts or occasionally camps. After defeating the Sikhs and occupying the old town of Peshawar in 1849 the British founded a new cantonment turning it into a boulevard city lined with exquisite trees, scents, and foliage. The extensive infrastructure, built during that period is still in use. They introduced city planning, set up housing registries and byelaws, named streets, and later built elaborate road systems, bridges, railways, airfields and so on.
Peshawar is now officially South Asia�s oldest living city, according to experts, which boasts a recorded history dating back to more than 2600 years. The Vale of Peshawar lay at the heart of the ancient Gandhara ("Land of Fragrance and Beauty") between 1-7 century AD. �Like a painting . . . as far as the eye could see were fields of blossoms. In spring near Peshawar the fields of flowers are very beautiful indeed�, gushed Emperor Babar in his memoir. (Babarnama 1526 AD) The Mughals called it, �The City of Flowers�.
Mountstuart Elphinstone, an English emissary who witnessed the grandeur of the Afghan Durrani kingdom visited Peshawar in 1809 AD and described a garden which surrounded the town for miles. "It is called the garden of Shauh Lemaun (Shalimar)...and is full of trees....beneath which are bushes, planted very thick, of red, white, yellow, and China roses; white and yellow jasmine, flowing cistus, and other flowering shrubs, of which I have seen some in England and India, and others were new to me...The space between the walks is filled up by six long ponds, close to each other; and so contrived that the water is continually falling in little cascades from one to another, and ending in a bason in the middle of the garden. In the centre of this bason is a summer-house, two stories high, surrounded by fountains�" (Kingdom of Caubul, 1815)
The Sikhs destroyed and plundered Peshawar during their invasion in 1823 AD. The marauding army of 40,000 Sikhs remain camped around it for many years and chopped down its gardens and trees for firewood. In spite of this great damage when Mohan Lal a traveller and historian visited Peshawar around 1846 AD he was nonetheless impressed by the surviving greenery and recorded: � The numerous gardens and scattered trees were covered with new foliage, which had a freshness and brilliancy, never seen in the perpetual summer of India. Many streams ran through the plain. Their banks were fringed with willows and tamarisks. The orchards, scattered over the country, contained a profusion of plum, peach, apple, pear quince, and pomegranate trees, which afforded a greater display of blossoms that I ever before witnessed; uncultivated parts of land were covered with a thick elastic sod, that perhaps never was equalled but in England�the gardens which surround the city, and are adorned with the richest verdure; and adequate idea of grandeur of which is not easily conveyed by words�, (Travels in Punjab, London)
The present cantonment was laid in 1849 on a high ground west of the old city. (For those interested, its earliest description can be found in Rev Worthington Jukes� reminiscences.)
Olaf Caroe, one of the last British Governors in his authoritative work, The Pathans writes: �The cantonment at all seasons has a certain beauty. The great main road through it, known as the Mall, sweeps in easy curves through groves of fine trees shading the gardens of the houses on either side. The roads radiate from a central hub fixed at the old Company Bagh, where stands the Mackeson memorial, and around which as any visitor will notice, stand larger and thicker clusters of more ancient trees, pipals, banyans, pines and palms. These great trunks are survivors of the famous garden of Ali Mardan Khan, with a garden house mentioned by Elphinstone, part of which - one of the only two old buildings in the cantonment - is still in use by the Brigade headquarters. Many of the specimen trees and avenues around the cricket ground and the Company Bagh probably date back from that time...The lateral roads forming ribs to the spine of the Mall afford vistas of the nearer mountains, violet-coloured, and at their most beautiful as the sun rises or sets...The trees were smaller then, but this was the setting against which the first-comers from our country bent to their work over a hundred years ago." (The Pathans, Olaf Caroe - 1958)
Unlike government administrators we have these days, Olaf Caroe was a learned scholar and a man of fine tastes who upheld tradition and took much pleasure in simple things in life. A most sincere friend of Peshawar at heart, he wrote down a parting word of advice for his successors: "But the English who followed the Sikhashahi strove to make Peshawar once more a city of gardens, though with a suburban, not a stately taste. Working as best as they knew, they remade a tradition which Pakistan must have the will to preserve."
I have a newspaper article in front of me from Feb 2000 which reads: "In the 1970s, the city �managers� had cut down the Great Pipal tree at Shah ji ki Dheri, described by Shin Fa Hian and Hiuen Tsang the famous Chinese pilgrims and historians who travelled this place in 400 CE. According to H Tsang � Its branches are thick and the shade beneath, sombre and deep. The four past Buddhas have sat beneath this tree...� The famous stupas built by Kanishka to the south of the Pipal tree have also disappeared. Another historic tree belonging to Kanishka period was cut down only recently in Ander Shehr."
"The �Old Panj Tiraths� mentioned by The Gazateer �As the name would indicate, there are five holy bathing places or tiraths, shaded by some sacred pipal trees of great age. The Brahmins trace its origin to the five sons of Pandu � the heroes of the Mahabharata ...the site is a place of great veneration to Hindu community�. Now a derelict fisheries centre stands there. No protest, by the Hindu extremists in India over this post-partition sacrilege. Double standards galore! (O'Peshawar, Friday Times 26/02/00)"
I might as well add here that according to Imran Rasheed, author of Baghat-e-Peshawar, the old garden and religious pond at Panj Tiraths are now gone too and the place has been turned into an amusement park that goes by the name of �Chacha Yunus Park�.
The article further goes on to reveal:� The Cantonment Board has been notorious for its misdeeds. Top officials pilfer millions in cutting down historic trees. Even the military personal and MES become silent abettors. The rules are broken with impunity and it is considered business as usual. Recently, several huge Sheesham and Banyan trees were felled inside the GPO, Saddar, within seconds � upon orders from a �serving� minister of Pakistan Post Office. He was also responsible in cutting a dozen Sheesham, Banyan, mulberry, and Eucalyptus trees inside the compound of University Campus Post Office, despite resistance by the local staff. The sham auction showed receipts worth Rs. 40,000 for the entire swindle. The post office gives a look of a desolate barrack. Environmental legislation and enforcement is weak and everyone gets away with murder and a million in his pocket. Where is the accountability?�
Asking about accountability in Pakistan, good question! Not too long ago, in 2003, a former Vice Chancellor chopped down the botanical garden in the heart of our very own seat of learning - the UOP. This was no new precedent. In the past also some authentic official letters written by dept heads and other officials to the administration were brought to light which called for action against certain offending officials cutting trees in UOP since 1990s. No action was taken.
Peshawar has in the past lost all its historic gardens and thousands of trees in similar fashion turning it into a concrete urban wasteland. No spaces are kept along metalled roads or cemented lots to plant any greenery. How much space does a tree require? The city is choking with dust and toxic emissions. It may well also have the distinction of being the filthiest and most polluted (and still) living city in the world today! Prevention may be better than cure but some idle chap in the WHO now reckons that Pakistan is spending over $2 billion on the curative side by treating environmentally related diseases (WHO report 2003). The students of UOP�s Environmental Science Dept are passing their time these days analysing a study which reveals extremely high toxic lead levels in children living along Jamrud Road. I am not sure what Professor Emeritus Dr. Ahmad Hasan Dani was thinking when he wrote in his book: �the whole of the cantonment is neatly set with beautiful trees giving long vistas." (Peshawar, Historic City of the Frontier, 1995) Excuse me sir, I do not mean any disrespect but what views and vistas? The entire city is covered in a thick cloud of toxic smog through which one cannot sight anything clearly. Speaking of air pollution reminds me of how contaminated the water in Peshawar has become lately. Ever wondered why the fabled Bara Water (�Water of Eden�) of yore lives only in our memories?
Coming back to Dr Dani�s statement: �The cantonment is neatly set with beautiful trees giving long vistas." Beautiful trees indeed, but sadly, not anymore perhaps. Frontier Heritage Trust (FHT), Sarhad Conservation Network (SCN) & Hindu Kush Conservation Association (HKCA) have reliably learned about the Mall Road Widening Project. According to sources, there is a proposed plan to widen the Mall Road starting from the CMH up to Sahibzada Gul Road (back of the Peshawar Club.) Moreover, There are imminent plans to build an underpass at the Peshawar Club Chowk as traffic jams are common there.
The so-called �City Planners� have proposed to make an additional lane on each side of The Mall (i.e. increasing the number of lanes from the existing two on each side of dual way and widening it to make it three-lanes in future) so there will be a total of six lanes instead of the existing four.
The plan if approved proposes to flatten and abolish the greenbelt dotted by numerous old trees. The sidewalks/ pavements shall be pushed back against the boundary walls and the green belts will be converted into a third lane. It is not hard to imagine the fate of the poor trees if the plan by these modern-day Sikhs is approved. They are all set to face the chop. What sacrilege.
The sources have informed that the plan, which will be carried out by NESPAK will cost a huge amount and 20 million will be provided by the City District Nazim, Ghulam Ali for which his assistance has been sought. The final presentation of this proposed plan is yet to be made in front of a son of the soil the Corps Commander Peshawar, Lt Gen Muhammad Hamid Khan.
Granted, there is traffic congestion on the Club intersection. But the solution does not lie in such wasteful development projects at the cost of environment. The key lies in better traffic management. To quote an example, in spite of Jamrud, Khyber and GT Roads' widening recently (now 3-laned on each side) the authorities have failed to enforce lane discipline and in regulating it properly. Resultantly, the traffic on Peshawar's roads is like "fish in a river" - absolutely chaotic with everybody jockeying to reach the front from every side at intersections. Driving licences are dished out over-the-counter to all and sundry, without proper testing. Traffic police is under-staffed, under-paid and largely untrained. City�s ring roads are still unfinished. Nobody has thought of introducing a public mass transit scheme or using the Khyber railway track lying on the periphery of the city for local commuters' use between the City and Cantt Stations and University Town. Unlike other cantonments, Peshawar does not even have a metro bus service for its inner routes. Moreover, the main artery connecting Saddar with Khyber Road via The Mall is closed for security reasons for the last decade or so due to the presence of a foreign consulate and resultantly the traffic is directed elsewhere on the Mall.
Most crucially, it is an environmental health matter. Trees fight pollution and reduce harmful emissions and serve as lungs of the earth. Whilst cities in advanced countries have preserved their greenbelts and parks (e.g Central Park, NYC) and created bicycle paths along their main roads (e.g China) encouraging a healthier life-style, Pakistanis are doing completely the opposite.
Those already counting their chickens amidst the plans of building the under-pass should heed the lessons from the glorious �successes� of the Chowk Yadgar project (formerly Hasting�s Memorial, before its total obliteration) and the mess created in the name of Clifton Underpass at Karachi.
Most of the Sheesham and Pipal trees on The Mall are over 150 years old. They were planted in 1849-50 AD when the British laid out the present cantonment under Sir Colin Campbell�s direction. The Mall was then known as Thandi Sarak and lent a serene ambience to the neat and elegant town. Some Pipal species on the Mall are even older and were part of the fabled Shalimar Garden of the Durrani Period.
The British had tough laws regarding trees and buildings. One could not dare cut trees as it was considered a major offence. Also, the buildings and development had to follow certain rules and regulations. If proper byelaws were implemented in this country these trees could be saved due to their importance if viewed from different angles such as Environmental, Heritage and Human Rights aspects.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan and the Environmental Tribunal at Peshawar may wish to take note of this grave threat to our environment. An essential prerequisite, Environmental Impact Assessment, done under section 12 of PEPA (1997) Act before launching any such scheme is lacking. Additionally, the Federal (1975) and Provincial (1997) Antiquities Acts forbid harm to any ancient, (75 years or older) gardens and trees.
A joint communiqu� of Sarhad Conservation Network (SCN), Frontier Heritage Trust (FHT) and Hindu Kush Conservation Association (HKCA) has called upon the Governor NWFP, Chief Minister, Corps Commander Peshawar and the District Nazim to prevent carrying out of this short-sighted, ill-conceived and heartless scheme and has proposed setting up of a Citizen's Forum and Aesthetics Committee drawn from all walks of life (such as environmental health experts, historians, artists, media etc.) The notables, gentry and local residents ought to be made part of such decision-making matters about their city and they must be represented in all developmental planning in future.
(The writer is a member of SCN and FHT can be reached at [email protected])
23 Jan 2007
Sarhad Conservation Network
Hindu Kush Conservation Association
Kalash Environmental Protection Society
[email protected]