Pakistan, Feb. 6 -- We have a habit of mistaking earthmovers for policy. That is why the Capital Development Authority's clarification on the World War I memorial matters beyond the immediate outrage cycle: it forces a simple question onto a city that is constantly "developing" and rarely governing. Do we preserve history by freezing it in place, or by protecting it from neglect, vandalism, and the very development that keeps swallowing landmarks whole?

The CDA's core claim is straightforward. The memorial commemorating Subedar Ghulam Ali-cited by the authority as a WWI gallantry recipient of the Military Cross-has not been demolished. It has been treated under conservation protocol, with original bricks and materials preserved for accur...