In mid-May 2026, Lahore’s municipal authorities officially restored the historic name Krishan Nagar for the area previously known as Islampura — one component of a broader Punjab government initiative to revert over 15 pre-Partition street and neighborhood names. Other key changes include Babri Masjid Chowk → Jain Mandir Chowk, Sunnat Nagar → Sant Nagar, Mustafaabad → Dharampura, and Fatima Jinnah Road → Queens Road. New signboards have been installed at at least nine locations, and officials report no significant extremist backlash despite the sensitivity of the move.

The renaming initiative is formally embedded in the Lahore Heritage Area Revival (LHAR) project — a PKR 50 billion urban conservation program launched by former PM Nawaz Sharif and now spearheaded by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. It includes restoration of colonial-era sites, churches, gurdwaras, temples, and Sikh-era structures like the Kharak Singh Haveli and Princess Bamba Sutherland’s painting in Lahore Fort. The project also proposes restoring historic cricket grounds and the Minto Park wrestling arena (akhara) — previously demolished under Shehbaz Sharif’s tenure.

While the renaming has sparked widespread online discussion about history and identity, reactions are polarized: some hail it as a welcome step toward pluralism and tourism-driven diplomacy, while others — including commentators like Ravi Mishra — argue it is symbolic political posturing that does not address systemic persecution of minorities, citing forced conversions, blasphemy-related violence, and demographic decline of Hindus from ~15% in 1947 to ~1.6% today. Notably, the move coincides with other gestures like government-sponsored Christmas events in Punjab in late 2025, suggesting a coordinated soft-power strategy ahead of IMF and FATF engagements.