Islamabad - The Senate standing committee on federal education and professional training discussed the issue of establishment of the first-ever university in the troubled tribal areas in its meeting at the Parliament House with the ministry of states and frontier regions (SAFRON) and other stakeholders.
The committee in its last meeting had rejected the site spread over 266 kanals of land for the university to be constructed in Akorwal area of Darra Adam Khel at an estimated cost of Rs 133 million. “The land is insufficient and expensive and in this price land can be purchased even in Islamabad as well,” remarked Senator Abdul Nabi Bangash, chairman of the committee.
Efforts for land acquisition have been going on since 2002 and politically-backed influential people have been wrangling over the construction site. An inquiry should be held into the purchase of the land, said the committee members.
The 266 kanals of land for a university is a joke, commented committee chairman and asked that the at least 2,000 kanals of land should be acquired for the university as was agreed by all the members.
The committee members decided to call the meeting on January 6 in which all parliamentarians from Fata, Fata chief sectary, SAFRON and federal education and professional training will be called.
The committee directed that the government institutions should send well-prepared secretary or additional secretary to the parliamentary meetings as per law.