PESHAWAR, Nov 11: The civil secretariat of Fata has decided to establish a medical college in Khyber Agency that was earlier proposed to be set up in Parachinar, the headquarters of Kurram Agency.

Official sources said the secretariat, in collaboration with Khyber Agency authorities, had started looking for land in Jamrud adjacent to Hayatabad Township, Peshawar, for the medical college.

An official told Dawn negotiations between the Khyber Agency administration and people of the area were underway for land acquisition.

He said Governor Ali Mohammad Jan Aurakzai had given his consent to shift the college from Kurram Agency to some other appropriate area in tribal agencies, which was accessible to students from the tribal area and other parts of the country.

The college was planned to be constructed in Parachinar in the mid 70s and former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had allocated funds for the project. Later, the project was shifted from Parachinar to Abbottabad.

The sources said the college was likely to be established in the Shah Kas area of Jamrud tehsil which was close to the Hayatabad Medical Complex and students could use the complex as teaching facility.

The government has allocated Rs190 million in the current Annual Development Programme for Fata for construction of the medical college and PC-II of the project has been approved to hire consultants for the project.

Officials said 80 per cent seats would be reserved for students from Fata, five per cent for Northern Areas and Azad Kashmir and the remaining seats would be filled up through open merit.

Former Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah had revised the plan and announced establishment of the college in

Parachinar and local tribes had offered land for the project free.

The sources said two sites had been proposed for the medical college near the Parachinar town and funds had been allocated in the Fata development programme for 2005-06. A building had also been rented for the college in Parachinar.

Residents of Kurram Agency protest against the shifting of the college, saying Governor Aurakzai cannot justify his decision to shift the college because law and order situation in the agency is better as compared to other parts of Fata.

Fata health director Dr Zubair Khan said a team of consultants would select a site for the project.

He said the consultants would survey tribal agencies and the governor would give final approval to their proposed site.