LAHORE, Nov 27: Wall-chalking and graffiti are being allowed to go unchecked by the City District Government of Lahore while vandals have even left their mark on the ‘secure’ Punjab Assembly perimeter.

Most graffiti is in the form of political slogans and the names of candidates, some businesses chose to advertise their wares on unused walls, and other graffiti appears more random in nature – the work of bored teenagers.

Along The Mall, the wall of the High Court complex is replete with political graffiti as well as the hammer and sickle of the Communist Party, while the Imamia Students Organisation (ISO) has sprayed bold red lettering along the wall posts that circle the Punjab Assembly.

According to the Punjab Prohibition of Expressing Matters on Walls Act (1995), the definition extends to any “poster, bill, notice, placard or other paper or means of advertisement on a wall or writes on any wall with chalk or paint” and should include a fixed penalty of Rs5,000. Furthermore, the removal of existing expressions on walls must be undertaken “within a period of thirty days.”

Commenting on the issue, Rasul Bakhsh Rais, who heads the social sciences at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), said: “The political activists are showing no regard for the sanctity of public spaces in the pursuit of their own agendas.”

He said this neglect on behalf of the local government was symbolic of an anarchic society that barely respects the rule of law. “The problem is that nobody cares – even when there is graffiti on the assembly building it isn’t dealt with quickly.”

Noting that the phenomenon of graffiti has existed in all societies stretching back to Roman times, art historian Ijaz Anwar said more needs to be done to crack down on those who deface historical monuments – while the owners of business establishments who advertise through graffiti should be punished rather than the painters themselves.

Neither District Coordination Officer Sajjad Ahmed Bhutta nor his staff officer Tariq Zaman was available for comment despite repeated attempts. — ISSAM AHMED