It is indeed saddening news that the names of the four Houses serving as Boys Hostels of the Lawrence College, Ghoragali from the names of our Pakistani and Muslim heroes back to the British names from pre-1947.
During the first PPP government the name of the Lawrence College was changed in 1973 to Pine Hills College (and subsequently renamed Ghoragali College in 1978). The four Houses that served as Boys Hostels were named after four British Reverends who had served as Principals of the Public school at various times, Walker, Wright, Wrightwick and Peake. They were re-named as Jinnah, Iqbal, Babar and Tipu Houses respectively. In 1986, on the demand of old students of the college, Gen Zia re-named Ghoragali College back to Lawrence College but demurred in re-naming the Houses, saying he could not change the names of our heroes and that it would attract strong public reaction. The Governor Punjab serves as Chairman of the Board of Governors. Salmaan Taseer in his tenure as the Chairman of the Governing Board decided to change the name of Pakistani and Muslim heroes back to the names of British Reverends. However, he faced considerable opposition within the Board of Governors and could not push it through before he was unfortunately assassinated.
After his death, the matter was again deliberated by the Board of Governors with Taseer’s successor as Governor Punjab Abdul Latif Khosa in the chair. Initially, Khosa was not in favour of the change but faced with the reasoning that it was one of late Salmaan Taseer’s wishes, he honoured the dead Governor’s memory by acceding to the changes in the names. Jinnah House was changed to Walker House, Iqbal House to Wright House, Wrightwick House to Babar House and Tipu House back to Peake House. Coincidentally, this happened on May 3, 2011, a day after the US raid in Abbottabad to kill Osama Bin Laden.
The old Gallians, led by Anis Satti who had been Head Boy in 1954, 1955 and 1956 and retired army officers Brig Jaffar Khan, Maj Gen Inayatullah Khan Niazi, Brig Asmat Beg Humayan, etc along with a great majority of former students of GG, as Lawrence College is known, have vehemently protested against this and requested the Governor Punjab to reverse this forthwith and restore the names of the Pakistani and Muslim heroes.
IKRAM SEHGAL
Karachi
