I have no idea what Kalam is like today, and I fear the worst for Swat's other outstanding attraction - the Buddhist ruins.

When I was there, you did not have to search hard to see priceless ancient etchings in the rock of the valley, or find sites like Butkara, just outside Mingora, built as a Buddhist monastery.

For thousands of years, these ruins had been preserved, co-existing in the past few centuries with Islam in Swat.

But it's not hard to imagine the threat posed to the Buddhist heritage both by the conflict and by the Taliban's attitude to anything pre-Islamic.

In the days of the old Swat, we used to wish it would fulfil its potential as a tourist destination - although popular with Pakistanis, it could have attracted so many more foreign visitors.

Their spending power would have made a difference to the many Swatis working in the fledgling hospitality business.

Today, my wish is much simpler - if only we could have the old Swat back