July 31, 2007	Tuesday	Rajab 15, 1428

PESHAWAR, July 30: Former interior minister and Pakistan People’s Party leader Maj-Gen (retd) Naseerullah Khan Babar on Monday challenged before the Peshawar High Court the construction of the Qazi Public School on the premises of a girls’ college in Nowshera by the provincial government.

In his writ petition, Mr Babar named MMA President Qazi Hussain Ahmad as one of the respondents.

A two-member bench of the Peshawar High Court comprising Justice Ijaz Afzal Khan and Justice Hamid Farooq Durrani put on notice the Nowshera district nazim, the NWFP education minister and the principal of the Degree College for Women, Nowshera.

Barrister Masood Kausar appeared for the petitioner and contended that the construction of a school on the premises of a girls’ college was illegal.

The petitioner prayed to the court to declare the construction as well as all steps taken so far in this regard, including preparation of the PC-1 for the proposed school, without lawful authority and of no legal effect.

He also prayed to the court that the respondents be directed to select another site for the said purpose.

The petitioner also requested the court to restrain the respondents from taking any step in the matter till the disposal of the petition. The petitioner stated that in 1970, on the request of the petitioner, the elders of two villages namely Pirpai and Azakhel Payan had donated for free 200 kanals of land for the construction of a degree college for girls.

He said that in order to avoid any encroachment or misuse, the land was transferred in the name of the education department.

Mr Babar claimed that on his request the then governor, Lt-Gen (retd) Iftikhar Shah, had established the said degree college on the land in 2001.

He said the said premises had an education/teaching block, hostels for students and some houses for the staff.

He stated that sometime ago, a team comprising secretaries of the education and works department, the DCO of Nowshera and a few others headed by health minister visited the area.

Asif Luqman Qazi, son of MMA President Qazi Hussain Ahmad and chief of Jamaat-i-Islami, was one of the members of the team visiting the area.

The petitioner claimed that the principal of the college was summoned to the spot and informed that the provincial government had decided to establish a school by the name of Qazi Public School on the same premises and intended to take the said hostel, the staff hostel and a bungalow for the purpose. The principal of the said college protested as she needed the said facilities.

The petitioner stated that on June 26, 2007, the PC-1 of the proposed school was prepared despite resistance by the principal of the girls’ college.