Khwaja Hoti vows to resist sale of university land in Mardan

MARDAN: Former federal minister Nawabzada Khwaja Muhammad Khan Hoti on Friday opposed the proposed sale of university land in Mardan and vowed to resist any such move.

Talking to reporters at the Mardan Press Club, Khwaja Hoti accused the provincial government of pressuring the syndicate of Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan (AWKUM) to approve the land sale.

“The future of our youth is linked to these universities. We will not allow anyone to sell their land and will resist any such attempt,” he added.Hoti warned that if the government proceeded with its plan to sell the land of universities in Mardan, he and others would protest at all available forums.

The Awami National Party-led coalition government had originally acquired 5,000 kanals of land in 2009 for the establishment of the Bacha Khan Greater Education Complex in Mardan. Several public-sector institutions, including Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan (AWKUM), University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Mardan, Amir Mohammad Khan Campus of Agricultural University Peshawar (AUP), and Bacha Khan Medical College Mardan, were set up on this land.

The land was initially purchased at Rs2,800 per marla in 2009, with the government compensating the owners. However, landowners later challenged the price in the Peshawar High Court (PHC), which ruled in their favor and set the new price at Rs125,000 per marla.

Faced with Rs25 billion in arrears, a ministerial committee decided to sell the unused land of these institutions to settle the outstanding payments. Despite the PHC ruling, the provincial government has yet to clear the dues of the landowners.

The move to sell university land has sparked concern among political figures and education advocates, who fear it could undermine higher education in the area.Khwaja Hoti made it clear that any attempt to take over university land would be met with strong resistance. “We will not remain silent on this issue,” he went on to warn.