close
Thursday March 28, 2024

QAU JAC wants operation against encroachments expedited

By Rasheed Khalid
January 11, 2019

ISLAMABAD: Joint Action Committee of Quaid-i-Azam University against encroachments has asked Prime Minister Imran Khan to expedite the process of cleansing QAU of encroachments and complete the task at the earliest.

JAC comprises office-bearers of Academic Staff Association, QAU Alumni Association, Officers Welfare Association and Employees Welfare Association.

The JAC requested the government that the anti-encroachment operation at QAU should be owned by the government and be continued effectively till the end of illegal occupation of 298 acres of precious land and handing over of 1709 acres of QAU land.

The members of the committee were taking it as a test case for Imran Khan who in a tweet a year ago had supported the eviction of land grabbers from the university territory. They said if the drive is not completed, the campus community will consider other options also.

Murtaza Noor, Secretary-General of the Alumni Association said the district administration and CDA except the first day step of demolition offices and wall of a former Senate chairperson did not take any further concrete action to continue the process except issuing notices to illegal occupants to vacate the land by Jan 9 at the latest.

Thus, QAU had to remove encroachments and fields established by villagers through its own machinery and staff.

The campus community which includes faculty, students, employees and alumnae want the government to accept ownership of the anti-encroachment drive and take the process to local end.

Otherwise, they opine, with the passage of time, the illegal residents are regrouping and lobbying to continue their unlawful occupation.

Not only PPP high command including Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto pressurising the University administration to spare the house of Nayyar Bokhari who during his tenure as Senate Chairperson forced QAU to let him have a road but named it after him, the local PTI stalwarts including MNAs are also siding with illegal occupants for the sake of votes in future. A score of women of illegal abadis got encouraged to ransack Thursday the Administration building of QAU which houses the office of Vice-Chancellor Dr Muhammad Ali. Most of the teachers, employees and students rushed to the block in solidarity to the VC who is boldly taking a stand to reclaim QAU land. In another incident, the villagers manhandled Security Officer of the University.

In the meantime, a delegation of JAC met Wajiha Ikram, the Parliamentary Secretary for Education. Aqeel Abbas, the President of ASA told her that University needs to get rid of the illegal occupation for its expansion plan, to remove drug peddlers from the campus and for greater security of the students especially the females who constitute more than 50 percent of strength of the students. A participant said that roaming cattle heads and donkeys also create nuisance in addition to damaging trees and plants of the university.

Qari Yaseen, Vice-President and Muhammad Ramzan, General-Secretary of OWA also spoke on the occasion.