Daily Times

PESHAWAR: The tussle between the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government and the Awami National Party (ANP) District Nazim has again taken an ugly turn over the establishment of a women’s university in Mardan.

The Mardan District Nazim, Himayatullah Mayar, has opposed the women’s university in Mardan. As per the official record of the government land measuring 1000 kanals was approved in the financial year 2010-11, for allied health facilities in district Mardan and was acquired by the health department in 2011-12.

Out of 1000 kanals land it was proposed that land measuring 200 kanals was specified for a dental college and a hospital, 100 kanals for a sports complex, 80 kanals for an institute of radio-therapy and nuclear medicine, 20 kanals for an institute of Herbal medicine, 100 kanals for a campus of the Khyber Medical University, 100 for the Post-Graduate Medical Institute and the remaining 400 kanals of land for a residential complex and external services.

However, the department of health, after consultation with the government of the PTI in the the province allocated 300 kanals land for setting up a women’s university in Mardan. The land was provided for the college on the prior request of the Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan.

As per the handout issued by the Health Department the 300 kanals land out of 1000 kanals, was provided for the establishment of a women’s University in Mardan at the request of the HEC.

The District Nazim Mardan, Hamayatullah Mayar, objected the move on grounds that the new land should be purchased instead of grabbing the same from the land already reserved for the health project and a medical college in the district.

The issue has taken a political turn when the ANP approached Peshawar High Court to stop the construction of the women’s university on the land already reserved for another purpose.

The official press release statement said that “The Health Department of the KP, keeping in view the importance of female education endorsed the proposal of the HEC, with the condition that 300 kanal lands might be earmarked at one side of the land for the women’s university, leaving the other land for the allied health project required for the Bacha Khan Medical College, Mardan”.

Speaking to the media at a press conference he alleged that the PTI government failed to start mega projects in the past three years. He said that the PTI government was attempting to sabotage the mega projects of the ANP in the district instead of completing the same. “I have no objection over the establishment of a women’s university in Mardan but the land purchased and reserved for a mega education and health project must not be given to another project” he explained.

The District Nazim advised the PTI provincial government to purchase a new land for setting up the women’s university in the district.

He said that the government should give priority to accomplish the Bacha Khan Medical College project and its allied health facility instead of cutting off chunks of land from it.

It is pertinent to mention here that KP Chief Minister Pervaz Khattak is against the wishes of the District Nazim for givin the final approval of the establishment of a women’s university in Mardan.

Muhammmad Atif Khan and the Elementary & Secondary Education (E&SE) Minister said that the ANP based stance was against the setting up of a women’s university and was aimed at depriving women from access to higher education in Mardan.