The Fatima Jinnah College for Women, Chuna Mandi, housed in historical Asif Jah Haveli in the Walled City, is again in turbulent waters as the new education minister has visualized it more as a tourist attraction than the college as he chaired meetings of institution’s Board of Governor early this month.

Punjab Education Minister Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan, who also holds the charge of tourism and archaeology departments, has said the college may be opened for tourists from 3pm to midnight for funds generation. However, BoG’s Jan 2 and 6 meetings’ minutes say the college will be open for tourists only on Sundays.

The decision met a strong reaction from within and outside the college and the Punjab Professors and Lecturers Association (PPLA) also held a protest meeting and criticized the uncalled for decision.

College teachers and students smell a rat in the move and apprehend that a little flexibility shown to allow outsiders’ entry will deprive them of a prestigious autonomous higher education institution.

They have decided to protect the college from outside interventions at all costs. Teachers and students had saved the college from a government’s proposal to convert it into a hotel in 2002-03 and later from Basant enthusiasts.

The college administration used to face embarrassment as sweepers had to remove liquor bottles and other litter from the campus.

This episode happened on Jan 2 when the education minister paid his first visit to the college to chair a BoG’s meeting. He was escorted for a visit to college facilities – and he made up his mind to use the historical building as a tourist attraction – low profile initially.

It is learnt that principal Shahnaz Kausar presented college’s 20-year vision and master plan which included opening of six new masters’ disciplines, separate labs for postgraduate students, construction of new rooms as well as renovation and preservation of building areas facing disrepair.

However, the education minister did not seem interested in the plan and the “plan” being cooked up in his mind led him to call Walled City of Lahore Authority director-general Kamran Lashari, Directorate of Archeology, Punjab director Saleemul Haq and building’s consultant engineer G.M Baluch to hold a meeting immediately and suggest the usage of building as a tourist attraction.

According to the minutes of BoG’s meetings held on Jan 2 and 6, it was decided that the historical haveli, housing the girls college, should be opened as a tourist attraction.

The meeting decided that the college would be open to tourists only on Sundays. The project will be run under the management control of the BoG.

The BoG also decided that a committee might be formed to plan the project immediately.

BoG’s existing executive and standing committee headed by Parveen Qadir was named as the said committee.

The committee was given a task of submitting a workable plan for this project within two months – by March 6.

Immediately after the BoG meeting, a 10-member committee held its maiden meeting in the principal office. After detailed deliberations, the committee decided that details be chalked out by specialized groups and then coordinated.

The committee also formed a three-member sub-committee comprising G.M Baluch, Saleemul Haq and Fawzia Qureshi and was asked to submit a report on the usage of existing building, identification of tourist and non-tourist areas, historical identification of names of rooms and areas of the Haveli, tourist walk way through the Haveli premises, identification of the immediate repair and fresco work to be done along with the finances required.

Apparently as a face saving move, the sub-committee was also asked to give proposals for the establishment of additional class rooms for the college library.

The committee also agreed that the historic structure and design must be maintained keeping in view the provisions of the existing special building protection laws.College officials seeking anonymity say the minister also wanted that a heritage souvenir shop should be opened in a college room and funds be generated from tickets for the entry to the building, specific areas and selling of souvenirs.

They also allege that the minister is also pressurizing the college to start decreasing the number of admissions as well as postgraduate disciplines gradually to convert the building into a full-fledged tourist attraction in the long run.

However, the hue and cry over the moves led the minister make a public statement that the college should enhance the number of admissions.

They say the incumbent college administration is ensuring that the college building must remain clean and tidy. The building has also been protected from any graffiti.

This issue is expected to prolong as the education minister has called the next BoG meeting on Feb 1. Interestingly, the Jan 6 meeting was the last assembly for many nominated members as they have now completed their three-year tenure.

The college building (also known as Dhian Singh Haveli) has a great history as in its lap, the Government College, Lahore, had opened its eyes on January 1, 1864.

It also served as offices for the British administration before partition and after the creation of Pakistan it housed CIA’s Torture Cell. In 1986, the then chief minister Nawaz Sharif had announced establishment of a girls college for the benefit of Walled City residents.

The college, which was granted autonomous status in 1997, is imparting higher education to over 3,000 girls every year.

Meanwhile, the PPLA has issued a news release welcoming the statement of MNA Hamza Shahbaz Sharif with regard to continuity of the college status in accordance with the education vision of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. — mansoormalik173@hotmail.com