Shaheed Ganj Mosque
The Shaheed Ganj Mosque, originally named the Abdullah Khan Mosque, is a former mosque, since demolished, that was located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The mosque was commissioned in 1722 during the reign of Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah and built by Abdullah Khan. Construction was completed in 1753 during the reign of Ahmad Shah Bahadur. It was constructed next to the shrine of Pir Shah Kaku. Sikh rule began in 1762 and the Gurdwara Bhai Taru Singh was built afterwards within the same grounds. The mosque site was under dispute during British rule, and was demolished by Sikhs on 8 July 1935.
History
The Abdullah Khan Mosque was built by Abdullah Khan during the reign of Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah. Khan was a cook of Prince Dara Shikoh, the elder son of Shah Jahan, and in 1743 CE, rose up to the position of kotwal of Lahor] for his services. The mosque was completed in by the Falak Beg Khan, and was built on the premises of the shrine to Pir Shah Kaku.Sikh rule and occupation/destruction of the mosque
There was a public square near the mosque, where criminals were punished during the tenure of Nawab Zakariya Khan Bahadur, a Mughal governor of the Punjab in the 18th century. Taru Singh, a Sikh man who aided Sikhs against the Mughals was executed. After that incident, the Sikhs officially declared Taru Singh a martyr and named the public square as the Shaheed Ganj.In 1762, the Bhangi Misl Sikh army conquered Lahore and occupied the mosque, together with the public square. The Muslims were not allowed to enter and pray, although Sikhs were given the right to pray. The Sikhs built a gurdwara called Gurudwara Shaheed Bhai Taru Singh in remembrance of Sikh martyrs in the courtyard while the Mosque building was used as a residence for the Sikh priest.
British rule and demolition of the mosque
After British colonial occupation of the Punjab in 1849, The Mosque became an issue between Muslims and Sikhs again. Muslims protested against the Sikh occupation Shaheed Ganj Mosque. On April 17, 1850, Nur Ahmed, a Muslim resident of Lahore, claimed to be a mutawallī of the mosque and filed a case in Punjab High Court. Nur Ahmed filed several suits between 1853 and 1883 to recover the Shaheed Ganj Mosque, but courts maintained the status quo.On 29 June 1935, the Sikhs announced that they would demolish the Shaheed Ganj Mosque. Several thousand Muslims assembled in front of the mosque to protect it and Anjuman-i Tahaffuz-i Masjid Shahidganj was formed. Sir Herbert Emerson, the List of [Governors of Punjab (British India)|Governor of the Punjab], tried to negotiate to find mutually acceptable solution. But, on the night of 7 July 1935 the British India Privy Council say "by or with the connivance of its Sikh custodians", leading to riots and disorder in Lahore.