Lalkurti
| Lalkurti, Saddar, Lahore Cantt. | |
|---|---|
| Lalkurti, Saddar, Lahore Cantt. | |
| Country |
 Pakistan
|
| Province | Punjab (Pakistan) |
| District | Rawalpindi |
| Time zone | PST (UTC+5) |
Lalkurti (literally red shirt; referring to British Infantry from colonial era), is a locality in the heart of Rawalpindi cantonment in Pakistan. Places with the same name are also found in many other garrison cities of Pakistan and India, such as Peshawar, Lahore, Kanpur, Ambala, Meerut and Delhi.
Located to the south of Mall Road, Lalkurti Rawalpindi is a bazaar and a residential area from the British colonial era. The Lalkurti Bazaar area, formerly known as B I Bazaar (British Infantry Bazaar), is one of the busiest shopping areas of Rawalpindi cantonment.
The importance of Lalkurti in the history of Rawalpindi and Pakistan lies in its once being the hub of Pakistan's military and political activities, especially in the 1960s, when Rawalpindi served as the interim capital of Pakistan. The first session of the third National Assembly of Pakistan was held on 8 June 1962 at Ayub Hall, Lalkurti.
Lalkurti has a population of around 200,000, which includes a majority of Punjabis/Pothoharis and a minority of Urdu speaking Mohajirs, Kashmiris and Pathans. Besides Muslim majority, a significant minority of Christians and a very small number of Hindus also live in Lalkurti. Once a serene and green suburb of Rawalpindi, Lalkurti has over the years become congested and chaotic.
The name Lalkurti (red shirt) is thought to have been derived from the red-coloured dress worn by the troops of the Royal British Indian Army who worked in the shooting ranges of the cantonment. The red-coloured dress made the workers of the shooting ranges more easily visible to the shooters and avoided any accidents. Lalkurti is considered to have originated as the colony of those red-shirted workers of the British Indian Army. The shooting ranges were situated to the south of British Military Hospital (now called Combined Military Hospital), in the present day Harley Street area.
...
Wikipedia