The earthquake that wreaked havoc in the northern districts of NWFP and Azad Kashmir on October 8, 2005 killing about 83000 people and injuring more than 150,000 also caused damage to historical buildings and monuments. It might take decades to heal the wounds inflicted by the natural disaster and to rehabilitate some of the buildings having historical significance and considered symbols of a glorious past.

Among such monuments are the partially damaged Jahanzeb College and Mingora Hostel in district Swat. Jahanzeb College is not only a historical landmark but also a recognised educational institution. Experts say the damage caused to the building is minor which can easily be repaired and the college made functional again. However, the Communication and Works (C&W) Department of the province is bent upon demolishing the existing structure building a new one on the ruins of Jahanzeb College.

Incidentally, the building was damaged in an earthquake even earlier -- in 1985 -- but was repaired instantly to cater to the needs of the 5000 students studying here. It was damaged again and the old cracks in the walls of the main building re-surfaced in the 2005 earthquake. This time around the C&W engineers declared the building dangerous and suggested its demolition. This has invited criticism by all those in favour of the preservation and conservation of old buildings who have approached the government, UNESCO and reputed structural engineers to save the building.

"There is something fishy about the whole affair. We believe that the demolition of the building will deprive Swat of its historical monument and will be an injustice to the founder of the college," remarks Dr. Usman Ali, the principal of Jahanzeb College.

Jahanzeb college was established in 1952 and Mingora Hostel in 1956 by the then ruler of Swat, Miangul Abdul Haq Jahanzeb. He also initiated the construction of buildings of highest cultural importance. Among those buildings are Wadoodia Hall, Jahanzeb College, Mingora Hostel, Saidu Hostel, Maskan and many schools and official buildings in Swat, Buner and Shangla districts, which were then part of the state. Majority of the state buildings in Saidu and Mingora were designed by Italian architects.

The senseless decision to demolish the building, according to many, is aimed at taking away the precious wood and other valuables as had been done in the past by demolishing Madyan hospital, Government Primary School, Central Hospital Saidu Sharif and a portion of High School Balogram from where deodar was stolen.

Those campaigning for the rehabilitation of the building argue that the C&W decision if implemented would deprive the coming generations of their glorious past and inflict irreparable loss on their cultural heritage.

Apart from Old Jahanzebians, another leading social society organisation called Environmental Protection Society (EPS) Swat is also struggling to protect these buildings by sending written requests to the Federal Minister for Culture G.G Jamal to intervene and save the college. "These historical buildings should be declared cultural heritage because the ministry has already come to the rescue of concerned citizens by acting against the demolition of such buildings in the former Bahawalpur State and Hazara division after the earthquake," states the appeal. The EPS believes that it was right of the people of the region to struggle for the conservation and development of the social and cultural environment of the area and that it will oppose any decision regarding the demolition of Jahanzeb College and would consider such an act as an attack on the Pukhtuns and their culture.

In a letter to the concerned quarters, former principal of the college and ex-president Old Jahanzebians Prof. (Retd) Abdul Wahid Khan wrote that demolition of the building will destroy the old monument of the late ruler. It also stressed that advanced technology has made it easier for the engineers to repair the damages. It also suggested that the government must consult structural engineers for a second opinion before taking any action.

Interestingly, the opinion of structural engineers and seismic experts was not sought although it was necessary before taking any decision.

Rs. 90 million have been allocated for the reconstruction of Jahanzeb College, which some of the people from the area believe should be used for reconstructing the college. But the opposition to the demolition of the building from the family of the late Wali of Swat, district government and even ministers in the provincial cabinet from the area is so strong that it is highly unlikely to get an approval for the rebuilding of the college. The pro-rehabilitation campaigners are also in contact with structural engineers from NWFP University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Peshawar, which has established a separate centre named Earthquake Engineering Centre.

Director Earthquake Engineering Centre UET, Dr. Qaiser Ali says every building, which is standing is retrofitable and before retrofitting, the damaged buildings are assessed in three categories -- Green, Yellow and Red.

Green buildings mean those which are fit to be occupied without any retrofitting. Yellow buildings need retrofitting and can be occupied only after retrofitting, while the third category -- Red -- means that these buildings need substantial retrofitting.

For retrofitting of the Red category buildings it should be seen whether they are economically justifiable or not. Economic justification is made after calculating whether the cost of retrofitting is 30 per cent of that of its new construction. But this formula is not applicable to the buildings that are cultural symbols, monuments and cultural heritage like Jahanzeb College, Mingora Hostel or Islamia College Peshawar. Such buildings should be retrofitted without taking into account their economic cost.

It's about quarter past two in the afternoon as I enter the gates of Lawrence Garden (a.k.a Bagh-e-Jinnah) to spend some time at the Quaid-e-Azam library with my sister who hopes to find some good English translations of Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi's short stories and the works of Henry Charles Bukowski. It's the last day of April and the temperature already warns of what lies ahead. The time we have chosen to venture out doesn't help but my sister is tired of discussing Ismat Chughtai and Robert Frost with her students and wants to introduce Qasmi Sahab and Bukowski in the next semester. So we decide to ignore the unfriendly weather and focus on our mission of escaping Frost and Chughtai.

The first sound that greets us from the nearby huge tree is of a Koel singing! I realise that I've come to the place after almost a year and a half. It was then that I heard this beautiful sound for the last time. We live extremely close to the Lawrence Garden and my childhood memories include countless walks and crazy incidents in this jewel of a place. Listening and trying to imitate the Koel and other birds was a favourite activity along with running up and down the famous 'pahaaris' (hills) and the never-to-be-missed ritual of having cold drinks at the canteen near the Quaid-e-Azam Library.

It's hard to remember how those walks to 'Lawrence' grew fewer with time and there came a day, during my Masters programme, when I entered the familiar gates after four (maybe five) years. It was because I had become eligible for a membership of the library, which offers membership to post graduate students only. All the former years were spent at the British Council library, which, luckily, was also nearby. However, I have to admit that I could not become a regular visitor to the library as I was used to getting books issued from the British Council library and the Quaid-e-Azam library does not allow this. My sister on the other hand found this rule extremely helpful (like all other regular devotees of the place), as she loved to sit in the beautiful surroundings of the library for hours and study without any interruptions and diversions during her student days.

It was to pick her up about 18 months ago, when she was no more a student but a lecturer herself, that I walked on the familiar paths to enter the huge white pillared building for the last time.

Now, on this boiling April afternoon, we sign in our names at the entrance and enter the place without being asked to show our membership cards. I have none and my sister needs to renew hers. It helps that she is friendly with the female receptionist who shakes her hand and inquires about her haal chaal. It's a relief to enter the huge beautiful main hall, as it is cool and quiet. Some people sit at the desks with book piles of all sizes around them while some stand at the endless shelves looking for their desired literary treasures.

My sister proudly informs me that she is familiar with every nook and cranny of the library and has seen many a romantic story begin, boom and bomb in different corners of the building. The library is not called one of the most popular and convenient dating spots in the city for nothing you know! As I can only boast of a couple of visits to the place I want to take a look around before we go in search of Qasmi and Bukowski and especially go up the grand wooden staircase which seems to belongs to a period film. It's covered with a velvety light green carpet (so is the library floor) and I imagine the colonial days when the place was used as the ballroom of the old gymkhana.

The stairs lead up to small air conditioned rooms and balconies with gold railings where people sit on comfy chairs and tables, some genuinely reading and taking notes while some engage in eye to eye contact with the opposite sex. The most awe-inspiring feature of the place is its exquisite ceiling and the antique looking chandeliers hanging from it. The ceiling is very high like in all old buildings and is covered in intricate designs in green and gold which look stunning with mighty white walls and pillars. It's heartening to see that all seems well maintained and looked after. I later learn from the official library brochure that the place was decided to be turned in to a library in 1981 by the provincial government and the target was achieved within three years. General Zia-ul-Haq inaugurated it on December 25, 1984 (So the man did some good after all).

Our tour of the library complete, we start looking for what we have come and it takes about 10 minutes to find an excellent translation of a number of Qasmi Sahab's short stories by Farooq Ahmed but Bukowski is nowhere to be found; a good excuse for another visit. People walk around us, some take a single glance and look away while some don't bother at all. We sit on a vacant table in direct range of a pedestal fan and go through the book. Two gentlemen sitting behind us discuss something in hushed tones and go quiet when a library official walks by. The whole atmosphere is calm, cool, quiet and, I have to say, quite awe-inspiring. We get down to reading Farooq Ahmed's translation of Qasmi Sahab's 'Lawrence of Thalabia' and find it doing justice to the original text. We drop the idea of getting the book photocopied and decide to buy it for our own personal collection.

We sign out at 3:20 pm with the friendly receptionist and step out in the sweltering heat once again. We walk past the construction work going on to complete the underground wing of the library. I vow to visit not only the library again soon but also the beloved garden which seems like an old acquaintance complaining of losing touch.