ISLAMABAD: A legislative body in the National Assembly on Federal Education and Professional Training has rejected the proposed Sir Syed (Centre of Advanced Studies in Engineering) Institute of Technology, Islamabad Bill 2016 as the said institute does not meet the infrastructure criteria laid down by the HEC for the establishment of a full fledged university. CASE is currently affiliated with the University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Taxila, offering admissions in 10 programsmes in Engineering, Computing and Management Sciences, both at the undergraduate and the graduate levels. The institute wants to get the approval of its charter from the National Assembly of Pakistan, but it could not be succeeded as the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and te Capital Development Authority (CDA), both opposed the bill in this regard. The Chairman HEC briefed the committee that initially the request to grant a NOC was submitted by the Sir Syed Memorial Society and CASE management jointly, but later on a difference between both parties surfaced while the CDA officials also informed that the building in which currently the institute was working was totally unlawful and the civic body had already served a final show cause notice to this institute to end the non conforming use of the premises. While talking to Daily Times, the Member Planning Asad Mehboob Kiani said: “We informed the committee members that the building which is being used by the CASE management was originally for a museum and a library while the establishment of a private university is totally illegal.” The committee discussed the said bill in detail and deferred it till the fulfilment of the pre-requisite which was required for awarding an Institute and NOC by the HEC. However, the committee directed the CDA to avoid vacating the Sir Syed CASE institute till the completion of the on-going semester to save the students’ academic carrier. Sir Syed Society was formed by the Aligarh Old Boys Association in Islamabad to pay a tribute to the education reformist in 1984. The CDA later allotted a 24-kanal plot at 19, Ataturk Avenue in G-5 to the society for the construction of an auditorium, library, reading room and museum. But in 2000, the society rented out a portion of the building to CASE, a commercial degree awarding institution. The CDA had already issued a final notice to the society which stated: “The plot was allotted for the construction of an auditorium, a l ibrary, a reading room and a museum, but at the site, a university with the name and style of CASE is established.” The Islamabad Capital Territory Administration has also suspended the executive committee of this society as out of 15 members of the executive committee, there were seven from CASE, a tenant, while another private organisation known as CARE is also running there, whereas according to law, commercial activities can’t take place on this plot. Thec met on Thursday at the HEC Headquarters, Islamabad under the Chairmanship of Col. (R) Dr. Amirullah Marwat. The committee discussed the agenda points including the calling of attention notices moved in the House regarding the stoppage of salaries of more than 60 teachers and staff of the Federal Urdu University Islamabad and the Bill titled “The Prevention of Malpractices in Academia Bill, 2016.