Symbols of a glorious past

By: Behroz Khan
May 13, 2007

The C&W is bent upon demolishing Jahanzeb College and Mingora Hostel although experts believe they can be easily repaired

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.

The C & W and other departments, who have no expertise in assessment of structures, have carried out surveys of the buildings and have declared Jahan Zeb College and Mingawara Hostel as dangerous for habitation and have recommended to demolish them. We do not understand (though we do) how they have arrived at this decision as we see that the college and hostel buildings have got minor damages which could be rehabilitated with lower cost with modern technology applied elsewhere in the world and the resulting structure will be stronger than it was before.

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. Italian architects designed majority of the state buildings in Saidu and Mingora.

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 civil society organization 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. Abdul Wahid Khan wrote that demolition of the building would 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.