BAHAWALPUR: A model of the historic fort Darbar Mahal of the late Nawab of Bahawalpur Sadiq Muhammad Khan Abbasi along with multi-coloured painted portraits of 14 late rulers of the defunct state were unveiled at the Darbar Mahal Chowk here on Sunday night.

The ceremony that attracted a huge crowd was performed by General Officer Commanding Major General Amjad Ali Khan Khattak.

The curved wall of the intersection has been painted with coloured portraits depicting the first Nawab Mubarak Khan Abbasi (1702) to the last Nawab Muhammad Abbas Abbasi as well as the last living Nawab Salahuddin Abbasi.

On the main road, the wall is painted with the front elevation of Darbar Mahal, interior of its main hall, Baradari and a mosque within its premises. According to the organisers, the miniature and portraits would be illuminated every night at fixed hours.

A plaque affixed at the site features detailed history -- both in English and Urdu -- of the construction of Darbar Mahal, and that the model had been created to acknowledge the rich heritage and preserve the legacy of the Abbasi state.

A separate board hanging on the wall states that the defunct state had been established in 1702 by Nawab Mubarak Khan Abbasi, while Nawab Sadiq Khan Abbasi had merged the state army with the Pakistan Army in 1947 who presently hold its management.

Published in Dawn January 10th, 2017