LAHORE: With an aim to lighten the burden of grieving families, Lahore has constructed a new graveyard, fully equipped with freezers imported from Germany, and over 22 video cameras that will allow relatives of the deceased to live-stream footage of funerals. The $1.5 million facility also features dozens of fans hanging from the ceiling of an arches prayer zone which remains entirely open.
The Shehr-e-Khamoshan model graveyard was conceptualised in 2015 to address the lack of proper burial facilities in Punjab province of Pakistan. Existing graveyards were under extremely poor conditions with low maintenance and little space for graves. Grieving people were further distressed by the burial and funeral process, due to high corruption and exploitation. Burial grounds have struggled to handle urban population that has risen from 28 per cent in 1981 to 41 per cent now.
