Campus community resolves to retake encroached land

Islamabad : The stakeholders of Quaid-i-Azam University which include all segments of campus community again resolved to continue their struggle till complete removal of illegal encroachments over the precious land of the university.

QAU had paid for 1709 acres, 4 kanals and 12 marlas of land as per CDA records but 450 acres are in illegal possession of scions of CDA-affectees who were paid by CDA in 1960s but were not forced out of the land, some political elements and others including a sitting judge of Islamabad High Court.

This was unanimously resolved in a meeting of Joint Action Committee, QAU, in its meeting held after an Iftar-dinner at Majeed Huts, QAU, here which was attended by senior members and office-bearers of QAU Alumni Association, Academic Staff Association, Officers Welfare Association and Employees Welfare Association and the present and former students of QAU.

Earlier, a National Assembly Standing Committee on Federal Education & Professional Training showed its deep concern on the illegal encroachment of the QAU land and behaviour of concerned government departments during its visit to QAU on May 30 last year and directed all concerned to take necessary measures against all illegal encroachers. The district administration of Islamabad and QAU started an operation in which part of illegal attachments of a house under the possession of former Senate Chairperson Nayyar Bokhari was dismantled and fences erected by villagers around their fields inside university land were removed. The wheat crops of the fields was recently harvested by illegal villagers and one does not know if the area that put a question mark over the claim of district administration that 150 acres had been vacated from their illegal occupation during the operation.

Speaking on the occasion, President, QAU Academic Staff Association, Dr. Aqeel Bukhari said that illegal encroachments at the middle of university have adversely affected various development projects which are necessary to cater growing needs of the University. He termed illegal encroachments as one of the major problem being faced by top ranked university of Pakistan in its development plans. President QAU Alumni Association Sikandar Ahmed Rai, Aziz Nishter, Chairperson Joint Action Committee, and others also spoke on the occasion.

The participants gave various suggestions to cope with the issue in effective way and assured their full cooperation to the JAC in its actions aimed at frustrating the designs of land grabbers and ‘qabza’ groups.