Ownership dispute remains unresolved as historic structure’s future remains uncertain
RAWALPINDI:
A 200-year-old historic building located at Committee Chowk on Murree Road, opposite the Talian Shah shrine, has been vacated by the education ministry after more than six decades, reigniting speculation over a major commercial redevelopment plan reportedly backed by one of Rawalpindi’s most influential political groups.
The seven District Education Authority (DEA0) offices and district education officers have reportedly been forced to move from their central premises to a new education complex at Madrassa Millia Islamia in the satellite town, an area that critics say is much less accessible to the public.
The move effectively paved the way for the politically influential group’s long-standing plan to develop the high-value land – estimated at around Rs 100 billion – into commercial plazas, hotels and multi-storey buildings. Only the office of the director of colleges of education remains in the historic structure, and officials fear it, too, could be removed at any time.
The two-story building, considered a rare blend of European and Mughal architecture, was built nearly two centuries ago by a wealthy Hindu businessman in his wife’s name as an orphanage, dharamshala and shelter.
Over the decades, the building has served several functions. Around 1950, it briefly housed the Holy Family Hospital, while for a short period it also served as a prison in Rawalpindi.
Between 1930 and 1947, royal and British guests arriving from Bombay and Delhi were accommodated there, and it subsequently served as a government rest house for almost two decades before the offices of the Ministry of Education were moved there in 1960.
Department of Education officials maintain the property was purchased legally from the Evacuee Trust Property Board and say they have bank receipts proving payment. However, since 2024, the Evacuee Trust Property Board has claimed ownership of the site and has begun issuing eviction notices to Department of Education offices and colleges.
