According to historians, Rawalpindi before partition was a very diverse town; home to people from many faiths, such as Sikhs, Hindus, Parsis, Muslims and Jains. Even today, one can see the mark left by these old communities in various parts of old Pindi. The Bhabhar Khana is one such place, surrounded on all sides by Bhabhra Bazaar. The word ‘bhabhar’ is associated with Jain traders and merchants who lived in this neighbourhood before partition. The Gazetteer of Rawalpindi from 1893-94 puts the Jain population of Rawalpindi at more than 5,000. It is said that most of the Bhabhars in Rawalpindi were well-to-do and used to live here, but migrated to India after partition.

— Photos and text by Shiraz Hassan

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2014