Fading grandeur: Wazirbagh’s Mughal majesty lost in neglect
PESHAWAR, (APP): Once resonant with laughter, birdsong, and the scent of wet earth during the monsoon, Peshawar’s historic Mughal era Wazirbagh garden now stand eerily silent, which are ghosts of a greener past, fading under the weight of neglect, urban encroachment, and environmental degradation.
Historical gardens like Wazir Bagh, Shalimar Garden, and Jinnah Park, which were once the emerald heartbeats of Peshawar, are now pale shadows of their former selves due to improper upkeeping.
The towering pipal, siris and shisham trees that offered cool respite during scorching summers to Peshawarities in Wazirbagh have been felled, taking with them the chorus of birds and the joy of shaded picnics especially during monsoon.
“I returned to my favorite Wazir Bagh after 20 years and was heartbroken after seeing its dying greenery and neglect,” said Riaz Khan, a retired government servant, his eyes welling with nostalgia as his grandchildren played hide-and-seek around him. Riaz Khan, who had spent golden days of his childhood at Wazirbagh said, “the dying greenery and loss of those thick pipal trees hurt me the most.”
He recalled how, decades ago, the park was alive with butterflies and children playing beneath dense canopies so thick they created twilight even in broad daylight.
Senior citizens gathered under these conopy trees to share stories, while families picnicked on lush lawns now worn and dusty. Today, he sighed, “only concrete, dying greenery and silence remain.”
Once a favorite spot for morning joggers and weekend visitors, Wazirbagh also boasted fruit-bearing trees such as apricots, pomegranates, pears and vibrant flowerbeds that dazzled both locals and tourists.
Riaz Khan remembered how communities like the Shinwaris, Afridis, Mohmands, and Khattaks, along with foreign visitors, came here and converged for relaxation and cultural gatherings.
But over time, creeping encroachment and poor maintenance stripped these gardens of its soul. Shrinking flowerbeds, broken benches, and withered plants now tell a story of neglect and desertion.
The area of historical Jinnah Park was also shortened after construction of illplanned BRT corridor near Firdus square, depriving Peshawarties of much needed recreation.
“Wazir Bagh was the identity of Peshawar,” Riaz told APP, adding he also visited a number of times with friends during student life and played under its tall pipal trees which is no more.
Calling on the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to restore the park to its former glory, he advocated for replanting native trees and even proposed a nominal entry fee to curb misuse and protect the space besides preventing it from further deterioration.
Bakhtzada Muhammad, Assistant Director of Archaeology and Museums told APP that Wazirbagh is Peshawar’s oldest Mughal-style garden, built in 1810 after Sardar Fateh Mohammad Khan Barkzai, known as Wazir, defeated Shah Shuja’s forces and established this garden near his residence in southern Peshawar.
Nearby lie the Durrani Royal graveyard and the tomb of Beejo Bibi, a consort of Shah Taimur, son of Ahmad Shah Abdali. British diplomat Sir Alexander Burnes also visited the garden in 1832, resting under its now-lost canopy and was impressed of its beauty.
In recent years, a glimmer of hope emerged when former Chief Minister Mahmood Khan allocated Rs100 million for Wazir Bagh’s revival under the “New Peshawar, Old Charm” project. Spearheaded by the Local Government Department, the initiative aimed to restore the garden without compromising its historic essence.
The project involved renovating pavilions, lawns, fountains, and pathways and construction of slip roads to ease access to Wazir Bagh and near Shahi Bagh gardens.
Spokesman of the local government department said to improve the surrounding environment, billboards, debris, rusting vehicles, tangled wires, and illegal structures were removed. Power lines near the gardens were relocated underground to preserve aesthetic and safety standards.
These parks are not just recreational spaces but living archives with green chapters in the city’s 3,000-year-old story.
The experts said that parks are vital for the well-being of residents of big cities, offering them numerous benefits. They serve as oases for recreation, improve air and water quality, and contribute to the city’s aesthetic appeal.
The recreational parks enhance community engagement and promote physical as well mental health of residents, therefore great responsibility rest on the shoulders of the KP Government to take this issue on a war footing basis by removing all encroachment and restoring it in its original shape to provide recreational services to Peshawarites.
