(MENAFN- Tribal News Network)
A petition has been filed in the Peshawar High Court against the potential sale of university lands in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, seeking to stop the provincial government's decision to sell these lands due to financial constraints.
The petition was filed by Muhammad Ali Shah of the Pakistan Peoples Party and includes the provincial government, Secretary of Higher Education, Secretary of Finance, and other relevant parties. The Vice Chancellors of the concerned universities are also named in the petition.
The petitioner argues that the provincial government does not have the authority to sell university lands, which were acquired for educational purposes. The government's decision to sell these lands, where buildings for institutions have already been erected, is contested. The land was originally acquired to serve educational objectives, and the universities have rightful ownership.
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The petition highlights the severe financial crisis faced by universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, noting that the provincial government allocated no funds for universities in the 2024/25 finance bill. This has left universities unable to pay salaries to faculty and staff.
The issue escalated when the owners of lands belonging to Abdul Wali Khan University, Engineering University, Agriculture University Mardan, and Bacha Khan Medical College were not fully compensated, leading them to seek relief from the Supreme Court. The court ruled in favor of the landowners, ordering the provincial government to pay market rates for the lands.
According to official sources, the outstanding amount for these lands has now reached Rs. 25 billion. To make these payments, the decision was made to sell off additional land.
Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi criticized the sale, stating that selling ancestral property is against Pashtun traditions. He condemned the government's decision and expressed opposition to the sale of university lands, having communicated his stance to the Vice Chancellors of all relevant universities.
Minister for Higher Education Meena Khan Afridi stated that the additional land of universities in Mardan would be auctioned according to legal procedures to compensate the landowners as per the court's decision. The provincial cabinet formed a committee to determine the land prices, including lands of Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan Engineering University, Agriculture University Mardan, and Abdul Wali Khan Medical Complex Mardan.
Afridi mentioned that according to the Higher Education Commission's standards, a university requires 100 to 120 kanals of land, and these universities have more land than required. He pointed out that the land purchased in 2009 at Rs. 2800 per marla now costs Rs. 126,000 per marla due to the court's ruling, leading to a daily financial burden of Rs. 1.5 million on the provincial treasury if delayed further.
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