Greetings from Lahore, Pakistan, whose high court offers an oasis for chatter and chai
Reported by NPR · October 7, 2026
The Lahore High Court, set in a British-era part of Pakistan’s second-largest city, draws visitors with its distinctive architecture, blending Mughal-style arches and Gothic details in red brick.
Inside, lawyers in white shirts and black suits move between courtrooms. Many gather in the central square beneath banyan trees to talk and drink chai.
The leafy courtyard stands apart from Lahore’s polluted streets, where trees are much less common outside wealthier neighborhoods.
That difference reflects a wider divide in Pakistan, the account says, between conditions for ordinary people and those with power. The article describes the contrast but does not identify any specific next steps to address it.
Key points
- The high court’s architecture combines Mughal and Gothic influences.
- Lawyers gather beneath banyan trees in the court’s main square.
- Tree cover is scarce beyond Lahore’s elite areas, amid heavy pollution and wider inequality.