Historic District Courts entrance gate demolished

RAWALPINDI: The district administration on Tuesday demolished a secondary main entrance gate of the District Courts, situated opposite Jinnah Park, as part of the District Courts overhead bridge and underpass project.

The demolition operation also removed the District Council canteen, lawyers’ chambers, several shops and a police post located in the same area.

The action began at around 9am, when the project team, backed by police, used heavy machinery to bring down the 128-year-old entrance gate to the District Courts.

Signboards of the District Bar Association and District Courts installed at the site were also destroyed during the operation.

Structures cleared during operation

The demolished gate served as a secondary main entrance to the court complex. Its removal came in connection with ongoing work on the overhead bridge and underpass project linked to the District Courts area.

Besides the gate itself, the clearance drive affected multiple adjoining structures. These included the District Council canteen, chambers used by lawyers, commercial shops and a police post, all of which were razed during the operation.

Police were present as the project team carried out the demolition with heavy machinery.

Main entrance had already been removed

The principal and largest entrance to the courts from Kutchery Chowk had already been demolished earlier. In its place, a smaller temporary access point had been set up.

With Tuesday’s operation, another longstanding access point to the District Courts has now been removed as work continues on the project.

The gate demolished on Tuesday was described as 128 years old, underscoring its historical significance. The operation also resulted in the destruction of signage belonging to the District Bar Association and the District Courts at the site.

The demolition marked another major change to the District Courts premises and its surrounding structures.