he federal government has recently announced plans to preserve the over-a-century-old building of Government Graduate College, Asghar Mall.

The building was originally meant for a school founded by a Hindu movement. It was generously funded by the Hindu community and soon became a part of the city’s proud heritage.

The school, situated in the Old Garrison, is now a state-run educational facility, adjoining the majestic college building.

The surviving alumni as well as current students and faculty of the College have been delighted by the announcement to declare the building a heritage site. They say it is wonderful that the government has finally acknowledged this historic landmark and decided to renovate it. The pre-Partition building has been in a dilapidated condition.

The efforts to preserve the building, some say, will also lead to remembrance of shared sub-continental history and help nurture interfaith harmony.

The facility was initially established as a small school in the early 20th Century. It is now a post-graduate college that enrolls thousands of students from the garrison city and its suburbs. Most of the alumni have fond memories of their days at the college.

“It is one of the oldest educational buildings in the Potohar region,” says Dr Hamid Qureshi, a senior teacher at the college. “The century-old building is a testament to the glorious past of this city,” he adds. “I am greatly pleased that the government has decided to pay attention to its preservation,” he concludes.

In 1903, a small school was founded in the area by Sanatan Dhram, a popular Hindu movement.

The current building, which has been declared as a heritage site and houses the college, was built in 1913. The Asghar Mall School was given the status of a college in 1948, soon after independence and became the first public-sector college in the Potohar region.

According to the record available with the administration, the school had celebrated its silver jubilee in 1938. At that time two prominent Hindu leaders, Eshwar Das and Krishna Kaur, extended a generous donation for the college.

In 1942, the first hostel block was constructed. According to the school history, compiled by Professor Dr Baqir Waseem Qazi, initially, Lala Peshwari Laal Chadha and Ram Gopal Ji donated a room each. Jewan Devi donated for four hostel rooms through Ditta Mal in memory of her late husband, Pindi Das.

In 1947, the school building was also used as an immigrants’ shelter. In 1948, however, it was declared a degree college, In 1964, master’s classes started at the campus.

The first expansion of the building was undertaken in 1966. That has been followed by several extensions including one in the early 21st Century. A post-graduate block was built in 1987, followed by an auditorium.

Federal Minister for National Heritage and Culture Aurangzeb Khan Khichi, a few days ago, declared the college a National Heritage Institution of Pakistan.

The minister said a formal ceremony would be held soon to officially confer the status on the historic landmark.

“It is not only an academic building but also a living symbol of knowledge, character and the nation’s historical and cultural legacy,” Khichi said, urging the students to act as its ambassadors.

The minister also invited the college administration to sign collaboration agreements with the ministry’s cultural institutions and assured full support to the college. He also declared that the college would be allowed to use the ministry’s platforms free of cost to promote educational and cultural activities.

Prof Dr Tanwir Ahmad Abbas Khichi, the principal, tells The News on Sunday that the building has been declared a heritage site in the line of Antiquity Act.

“The structure of the old building was deteriorating. It was feared that it would be severely damaged over the coming years,” he says. He says he is grateful to the federal government for taking notice of the old building which recalls pre-Partition memories. The announcement, he says, would be of great help in preserving the building.

The college is built over 100 kanals of land. Sadly, encroachments have been made on the premises, says a teacher. “I am hoping that both the provincial and the federal government take notice of this matter.”

He says there used to be a Hindu temple adjacent to the building. According to old students of the college, it used to be called Aaram Bagh.

The abandoned structure of the temple is now surrounded by commercial buildings as well as some houses. “The government must renovate and preserve the temple as well,” Mehtab Ali, an old student of the college insists.

“Declaring a part of the complex a heritage site is good, but unless you remove encroachments and preserve the entire premises, not much will change,” he says.

Mehtab Ali says, “Renovating the old garden and preserving the Hindu temple will be a message of interfaith harmony in our society and across borders.”

“The preservation of the old building of the Asghar Mall College is a great step. We should not only preserve the building but also its precious history. We should highlight the contribution of the Hindu community towards the cause of education,” Muhammad Asim, a former student of the college says.

The author is a staff reporter. He can be reached at [email protected].