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29-03-2021
31.3828412015, 74.2033654005
Fateh Singh Wala is a small village situated near Bahria Town on the outskirts of Lahore. The village was named after a Sikh leader called Fateh Singh, and the land it occupies originally belonged to Tara Singh, Fateh Singh's uncle. In Fateh Singh Wala, there is an old haveli (mansion) that is believed to have belonged to Fateh Singh. However, the haveli is now abandoned and in a dilapidated state, with its wooden beams collapsed. The villagers are not particularly welcoming and are hesitant to allow people to take pictures of the haveli from the outside. Additionally, the ownership of the haveli is a subject of dispute.
Interestingly, there is another village in Lahore, near Punjab University on Canal Road, called Shah di Khoi Fateh Singhwala. This raises the question of whether these two villages share the same Fateh Singh as their namesake. The Fateh Singh from the Shah di Khoi family was associated with the Sikh royal court and held high positions during the colonial era. He was granted various villages and land by the British Raj in Lahore. Prior to the partition of 1947, Fateh Singh served as a British government official and also held a ministerial position in the Patiala and East Punjab Estate Union. It is highly possible that both villages were named after the same person.
