Rawalpindi- Punjab Government failed to complete Degree Colleges in Dhoke Syedan Rawalpindi even after 7 years.

Civil society held a demonstration to urge the Punjab Government to start the classes in both degree colleges of Dhoke Syedan, Rawalpindi. Syed Kausar Abbas, Program Manager of Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, (CPDI) while addressing the media said that despite conducting number of protests, meetings and writing letters to the government, government of Punjab failed to start classes in both degree colleges of Dhoke Syedan.

He said that the project of two Government Degree Colleges Dhoke Syedan chowk Rawalpindi was started in 2007 by Chief Minister Pervez Elahi and Muhammad Basharat Raja Ex-Law Minister, but the Government of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz was unable to start the classes in both the colleges since the last seven years. Kausar Abbas said that RS42 million was spent on these buildings in the financial years 2007-8 and 2008-9 but later on the PML-N government in Punjab stopped funds for these colleges due to political reasons.

He said that those colleges were located at the boundary of two National Assembly Constituencies NA-52 and NA-54. The constituency belonged to the elected representatives, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Malik Abrar Ahmad. Both the elected representatives were approached by the constituent’s number of times during the last six years but they always made fake commitments. Kausar Abbas said that after taking oath Member National Assembly Malik Abrar Ahmad committed on a public forum organized by CPDI that the colleges would start by September 2013 but they have not started working on these colleges yet.

He further told that these were the only colleges of NA-52 and NA-54 and the students did not have the opportunity to get access to higher education in their area. The students have to travel long distance to Rawalpindi city or Islamabad to get education.

Kausar Abbas told that if classes would not start in August 2014 then a sit-in and grand protest will be organized to get the attention of Punjab Government. We have started corner meetings with the activists and political workers to involve them in massive campaign for completion of these colleges. The natives of Dhoke Syedan Colleges urged the Government of Punjab to immediately complete buildings of both colleges.