PESHAWAR
\nOnce known as the city of flowers and gardens, Peshawar was losing its three Mughal era gardens due to encroachment and loss of greenery due to changing weather patterns and its proper upkeeping was required to revive its past glory.
\nThe famous gardens of Peshawar including Wazir Bagh, Shalimar Gardens and Jinnah Park (old Canningum park) where flowers were blossom these days in the past, were now marred by encroachment, dirt and plastics scattered all around underming its natural beauty.
\nGone were the days when joy of small kids was boundless while seeing colourful butterflies hovering over flowers of spring and dense pipal trees in the Mughal era Wazir Bagh garden where greenery has started dying due to improper upkeeping and increased urbanization.
\nChasing butterflies and hide and seek of small children among the thickly grown pipal trees used to be a great fun and laughter but all these charms wore off as the time passed by and today this historic garden was giving barely a deserted look.
\nPipal trees were so thick that one would get the impression of night even during broad daylight in the summer season.
\nWazirbagh gardens is located at Yakatooth area in South of Peshawar City on vast land and was a source of recreation for Peshawarties over centuries.
\nThe oldest garden used to be comfortable place for senior citizens while sitting under the cold shade of pipal trees in soothing environment coupled with chirping of birds and exchanged views of their life experiences and day to day happenings with their children plays around in its lush green lawns.
\nWazir Bagh was used for morning exercises by Peshawarites due to its awesome walking tracks and lush green lawns and became a unique source of recreation and picnic spot.
\nToday, it is disappointing to see missing chirping birds, colourful butterflies and ladybirds due to vanishing of the canopy pipal trees at Wazir Bagh due to lackluster approach of the local communities, past government, deforestation and improper up keeping.
\n\u201cSince my childhood, I used to visit this historic park for exercise on its beautiful tracks snaking through its thickly grown tall pipal trees with people sitting around in sprawled lawns,\u201d Qaisar Khan, a retired employee of PESCO told APP at Wazir Bagh.
\nRecalling his past memories, he said, tourists were highly impressed by its sprawled lawns, fountains, pods, apricots, peaches, pomegranates and colourful flowers.
\nShinwaris, Afridis, Mohmands, Bajauris and Khattaks besides domestic and foreign tourists used to come here in droves to spend some time in a relaxed environment under its shady trees.
\nIt was also a great source of study for students of nearby Government Superior Science College due to its conducive environment and for sports athletes.
\n\u201cAfter 25 years, I came to my favorite garden where I was disappointed to see the pathetic condition of its two vast lawns, fountains\u2019 pool, dying greeny and withered pipal trees,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cWazir Bagh is the identity of Peshawar that should be preserved along with Shahi Bagh Garden and Jinnah Park for future generations.\u201d
\nHe urged the KP government to take cogent measures for its complete rehabilitation, planting of pipal trees and impose complete ban on free movement of people inside the historic garden.
\nHe said fixation of entry fee would help check free movement of people besides closing of its football ground to help protect its greenery from further degradation.
\nWazir Bagh garden was constructed in 19th century when Prince Shah Mahmood Durrani sent his forces under the command of Sardar Fateh Muhammad Khan Barkzai alias Wazir against his cousion Shah Shuja, who was the ruler of Peshawar.
\nIn 1810, Sardar Fateh Muhammed had toppled Shah Shuja rule and laid the foundation of Wazir Bagh garden. It has a Royal Durrani graveyard in its South and Tomb of Beejo Bibi, a Mistress of Shah Taimur son of Emperor Ahmad Shah Abdali nearby, which are attracting tourists.
\nPeshawar is one of the oldest city of South Asia having about 2,700 years old civilization where international merchants of the subcontinent, Afghanistan and Central Asia had stayed in its ancient Qissa Khwani bazaar at nights and swapped tales of love, culture, art & architecture, music and each others\u2019 traditions.
\nThey also visited nearby Wazir Bagh, Jinnah Park and Shahi Bagh gardens before their departure to Afghanistan and onward Central Asian Republics through historic Khyber Pass.
\nBritish diplomat Sir Alexander Burnes had special love for Wazir Bagh by visiting it in 1832 and rested here. He was highly impressed by its breathtaking natural beauty and lush green meadows.
\nThe fortune was finally smiled on Wazir Bagh garden with getting the authorities attention for its overhauling under \u2018New Peshawar Old Charm\u2019 project to make it again centre of attraction for foreign and domestic tourists.
\nThe project envisages complete refurbishment of Wazir Bagh garden besides value addition to the city\u2019s outlook under seven \u2018R\u2019 strategy to repair, realign, renovate, restore, rehabilitate and relax its environment besides remove all kinds of encroachment.
\nRefurbishing work on Wazir Bagh has recently been completed to regain its past glory and made it a centre of ecotourism, officials in KP Government told APP.
\nUnder the plan, he said its walking tracks and lawns improved and a special corner for women and a cafeteria established to facilitate tourists.
\nThe four main enclosures of Wazir Bagh including pavilion, lawns, crisscrossing pavement and fountains\u2019 pool refurbished without compromising on its originality.
\nFunland and Parda Bagh at Shalimar Gardens on about 176 kanal land at historic Shahi Bagh garden has been removed to restore its original grendure.
\nSlip roads were built to ensure smooth flow of traffic on roads leading to Wazir Bagh and Shahi Bagh gardens for facilitation of tourists besides revival of centuries-old traditions of Qehwa Khanas (tea rooms) at ancient Qissa Khwani bazaar and installation of heritage plaques and photos in main squares.
\nThe plan were implemented in phase-wise for which different major arteries proposed include university road, ring road, Khyber road, GT road, circular road, Dalazak road, Nasir Bagh road, Charsadda road, Kohat road and Wazir Bagh road to enhance Peshawar\u2019s outlook.
\nSimilarly, problems of illegally installed billboards, debris buildings\u2019 materials, encroachment, redundant poles, iron structures, rusted vehicles, dysfunctional streetlights, missing lane cat eyes, jumbled up wires of various utilities and poor civic conditions in the vicinity of Wazir Bagh and Shahi Bagh gardens were addressed on priority basis.
\nThe area of Jinnah Park garden has been restricted due to ill planned construction of BRT and greeny started dying due to poor upkeeping.
\nThe people requested the Provincial Government to ensure proper mentaince and upkeeping of these parks to make Peshawar again city of gardens.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PESHAWAR Once known as the city of flowers and gardens, Peshawar was losing its three Mughal era gardens due to encroachment and loss of greenery due to changing weather patterns and its proper upkeeping was required to revive its past glory. The famous gardens of Peshawar including Wazir Bagh, Shalimar Gardens and Jinnah Park (old […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-329990","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-peshawar"},"yoast_head":"\n