History

The Swat Valley and Saidu Sharif

The Swat Valley is famous for its natural beauty, its streams and its fertile land. It has a very long history: Greek, Mauryan, Parthian, Kushan and Sassanid rule all left their mark, and during the Buddhist period the valley was a centre of learning. Saidu Sharif, the capital of Swat, has continued that tradition.

Foundation

The college was founded in 1952 by Major General Miangul Abdul Haq Jahanzeb, the Wali (ruler) of Swat State. His rule is remembered for peace, security and quick justice, for free health care and new hospitals, for an efficient telephone network, and above all for the priority he gave to education: he built many schools throughout the state, and he built this college so that the young people of the region could receive higher education at home.

Growth

The college began with a few hundred local students. Today it teaches thousands of students from Swat and from other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Many of its graduates have built careers in Pakistan and abroad, and most of the college’s principals were themselves its former students.

In 1969 the last Wali of Swat built Wadudia Hall, opposite the college on Saidu Sharif Road, and named it after his father, Mian Abdul Wadud. In 2010 the college introduced the four-year BS system, which is now offered in 18 departments under the affiliation of the University of Swat.

Parts of the campus were later reconstructed by the UAE Project to Assist Pakistan together with the Pakistan Army; the rebuilt facilities include a lecture auditorium, classrooms, laboratories and an administration building (reported by Gulf News, 2018).