The city has lost yet another piece of its cultural heritage as Nishat Cinema, a 75-year-old landmark on Liaquat Road, Rawalpindi, near the historic Liaquat Bagh, has been demolished to make way for an eight-storey commercial plaza.
Built in 1950 during the golden age of Pakistani cinema, Nishat primarily showcased Punjabi films, with occasional Urdu screenings.
Its proximity to a once-bustling transport terminal meant moviegoers could enjoy a late-night show before catching buses to cities such as Lahore.
At its peak, Rawalpindi boasted 24 cinemas. Today, none remain operational. Fourteen have been replaced by shopping plazas and commercial centres, three converted into wedding halls, two occasionally host theatre performances, and five have stood shuttered for more than two decades—their owners now seeking demolition permits for redevelopment.
Nishat was once a hub of entertainment, screening Indian films until 1952 and enjoying packed audiences until the 1990s.
However, the collapse of Pakistan’s film industry, coupled with internal ownership disputes and court cases, led to its closure in 2000.
Following a legal settlement, demolition began on Friday (today). The prime Liaquat Road property has long been a coveted site, but also a flashpoint for disputes, even incidents of gunfire.
The fall of Nishat mirrors the broader decline of Rawalpindi’s cinema culture.
Iconic venues such as Naz, Shabistan, Gulistan, Sangeet, Rose, Novelty, Taj Mahal, Imperial, Nigar, Tasveer Mahal, Rex, Capital, and Qasim have all been replaced by plazas.
Kahkashan, Nadir, and PAF now serve as wedding halls, while Moti Mahal and Rialto occasionally host theatre. Others—including Khurshid, Plaza, Odeon, Serose, and Garrison—remain locked in silence.
The demolition marks not just the end of a building, but the erasure of a chapter in Rawalpindi’s cultural and entertainment history.