QAU land encroached again

Islamabad : Joint Action Committee of Quaid-i-Azam University in an emergent meeting has warned the authorities to stop efforts of the Qabza Mafia trying to retake the areas QAU got vacated two years ago.

The JAC comprising QAU Alumni Association, Academic Staff Association, Officers Welfare Association, Employees Welfare Association and students’ representatives took timely action and reached the spot Thursday where former Senate Chairperson and PPP leader Nayyar Bokhari allegedly had deputed labourers to restart the structures earlier demolished by the district administration for being illegal.

The QAU community lays claim on all the areas south and west of Shahdara Nullah where many illegal buildings sprouted in the past decades.

It may be mentioned that QAU was allotted 1709 acres of land by CDA for which it had paid all the amount. But there are different localities within the Campus land still inhabited by scions of villagers whom CDA says it paid all the compensation amount. Unfortunately, the civic body did not get the land vacated. The scions of those who called themselves affectees refuse to leave the place in the hope of getting another series of compensation.

QAU needs the land for expanding the camps and constructing new buildings for classrooms, laboratories, hostels, and other utilities.

With the help of the local administration, QAU got some land vacated but then local ruling PTI legislators jumped in support of land grabbers to get their votes in future elections.

QAU teachers and staff including Prof Sohail Yousaf, who also looks after the security affairs of the university reached the venue and stopped the labourers carrying out construction work. The workers reportedly informed QAU community that Nayyar Bokhari had hired them for the purpose.

Assistant Commissioner Aneel Saeed with police also reached the venue and said that anybody violating the stay order issued earlier by Islamabad High Court to maintain the status quo will be arrested.

The JAC reiterated its resolve not to vacate an inch of university land and urged the authorities to get the campus vacated from illegal occupants and their encroachments.