May 5, 2003	Monday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 2, 1424

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MUZAFFARABAD, May 4: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir cabinet is likely to witness opposition by some of its members to a draft ordinance, aimed at establishing a “science and technology” university in the private sector, when it meets here on Monday, Dawn learnt from credible sources here on Sunday.

According to details, the Marjan University of Science and Technology, with its proposed main campus in Rawalakot, is being established by Marjan Education Trust, which had deposited Rs50,000 as process fee for the issuance of an ordinance through the education secretary last year.

After the draft ordinance was vetted by the law department in January under the prime minister’s instructions, the education secretary moved a summary on March 7 to the premier that the draft should be placed on the agenda of the cabinet for approval, which is a pre-requisite for the promulgation of any ordinance. The education secretary’s summary refers to the prime minister’s “independent policy” for the establishment of a university or a degree institute in the private sector, reportedly approved on Nov 11 last year.

Interestingly, the so-called policy had never been made public on the day when it was purported to have been signed by the prime minister.

The date under the premier’s signatures on the one-page policy document, a copy of which was made available to Dawn, distinctly appears to have been written later with a different handwriting, apparently to give retrospective effect to the document, sources said.

The proposed Marjan University of Science and Technology Ordinance 2003 says among other things that the university shall have the powers to establish camp offices/campuses, faculties in Pakistan or abroad under prescribed conditions for the betterment of education.

Besides, it shall also have powers to provide for the printing and publication of research and other works and to issue public, tender, admission and staff required notices through the AJK Press and Information Department like public sector universities.

According to the 26-page draft, the AJK president shall be the varsity’s patron in chief, the prime minister and LA speaker shall be its patrons and the Saudi Arabia based Dr Abdullah Umer Naseef shall be the lifetime chancellor.

The varsity shall have 11 faculties at the initial stage which include faculty of health and medical sciences, faculty of engineering and textile, faculty of telecom engineering and management.

Sources said that the Legislative Assembly Speaker Sardar Siab Khalid was working behind the scene to get the university project through. However, it could not be known that who heads the Marjan Education Trust.

The cabinet members interviewed by Dawn recalled that the private sector universities established through ordinances or acts of the AJK assembly had not been on the right track.

Two years ago, the then PPAJK government’s attempts to pass an act for the establishment of a private sector university was foiled by the then opposition, which now happens to be in the driving seat.

A 5-member committee formed by the then LA speaker had recommended that private sector universities should be banned from issuing affiliations for at least 10 years and a permanent regulatory body should be established to keep a check on the varsities.

It had also recommended to make it mandatory for the private sector institutions to purchase the required land within the AJK territory to establish their campuses here.