PPP moves PHC against proposed sale of varsities’ land

PESHAWAR: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Saturday challenged the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s decision in the Peshawar High Court to sell lands of public sector universities for acquiring funds for payment to the landowners.

PPP provincial president Syed Muhammad Ali Shah Bacha challenged the government’s decision about the proposed sale of universities’ lands through a writ petition filed by Gohar Rahman advocate.

Secretaries of higher education, finance, KP advocate general and vice-chancellors of the universities, whose lands would likely be sold, have been made respondents in the instant petition.

The petitioner prayed the court to refrain the government from selling the lands of universities and merging the educational institution till the disposal of the petition.

The petition said that KP authorities had decided to put lands owned by the education department on sale to acquire funds as the provincial government faces a financial crunch.

It said that the land purchased for the Bacha Khan Greater Educational Complex in Mardan would be put on sale to clear the payments of landowners.

“About 700 kanals out of the 4,800 kanals reserved for the educational complex, which was intended to house four separate institutions, will be sold off to generate Rs35 billion,” it added.

Four separate buildings including Bacha Khan Medical College, Abdul Wali University, an agricultural university and an engineering university were planned to be established inside the Bacha Khan Greater Educational Complex.

It said that separate committees of all four educational institutions had been formed for the marking and sale of the said land.