LAHORE, March 21: The Punjab University will spend Rs30 million on “political” gathering of chief minister Shahbaz Sharif at its Law College ground, where he will distribute laptops to varsity students on March 23 (tomorrow).

The Punjab University administration has assured the Punjab government that it will gather more than 20,000 students for chief minister’s address. PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif will chair the laptop distribution ceremony if he is in the country, sources say.

The Punjab government plans to hold 14 ceremonies in universities, medical colleges as well as autonomous colleges in Lahore from March 23 to April 7 to distribute laptops to selected regular students. A consignment of laptops reached the Punjab University on Wednesday, but the chief minister will distribute only 30 laptops at the ceremony. In all, 14,450 laptops will be distributed to PU students.

Punjab University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran in anticipation of Finance and Planning Committee and Syndicate has sanctioned Rs30 million as supplementary grant over and above budget estimates 2011-12 under the budget head “Other Expenditures (Students)” for arrangements for the March 23 laptop distribution ceremony.

According to the bifurcation of Rs30 million allocation, the university has allocated Rs15 million for tentage where more than 20,000 students would gather. The university has allocated Rs6.5 million for T-shirts and caps, Rs5 million for banners and placards etc., Rs2 million for the sound system, Rs400,000 for badges, Rs175,000 for leaflets, Rs60,000 for the music master and Rs865,000 for miscellaneous expenditure.

As the Punjab University is completing arrangements for the ‘political’ gathering, varsity’s afternoon and evening classes students are protesting against the eleventh hour denial of laptops. The students, who were selected for provision of laptops, on Wednesday staged a protest demonstration and blocked the road between the PU and Shaikh Zayed Hospital. They marched towards vice-chancellor’s office and staged a protest demonstration. They dispersed peacefully when Punjab higher education minister in-charge Zaeem Qadri assured them that the chief minister would announce laptops for afternoon and evening classes students at the beginning of the laptop distribution ceremony. The students, however, made it clear that they would protest at the ceremony if the promise was not fulfilled.

The Punjab University faculty has criticised the varsity administration for lavish spending on the ceremony. “Is it not corruption that students’ money is being used for political gatherings,” said a visibly agitated faculty member.

Apart from the Rs30 million allocation, the faculty member said the PU administration had planned 27 cluster laptop distribution ceremonies of various departments and sought money from these departments to hold ceremonies. At these ceremonies the varsity administration would distribute laptop to all selected students.

A PU spokesman said the university was bearing the expenses of the ceremony from its ‘investment’. He said the university had allocated Rs30 million, but the actual cost would be calculated after the ceremony.

The PU spokesman said through an SMS later the university administration would not serve even a single cup of tea to the participants. “It is expected the Punjab government will later refund the money spent on the ceremony,” he added.

Including the March 23 ceremony, the Punjab government has scheduled 14 ceremonies to distribute 43,329 laptops.

According to the schedule, the government will hold laptop distribution ceremonies at the King Edward Medical University (2,103 laptops) on March 24 and the Lahore College for Women University (4,253 laptops) on March 26.

The government will distribute 1,451 laptops to male students of various Lahore colleges on March 27. Female students would be given 1,955 laptops on March 28.

The government will distribute 2,751 laptops at the University of Education on March 29, 1,400 laptops at the Kinnaird College on March 30 and 1,626 laptops at the Allama Iqbal Medical College on March 31.

On April 2, the government will distribute 904 laptops to students of the Fatima Jinnah Medical College. A major ceremony will again be organised at the Government College University, where chief minister Shahbaz Sharif (and may be Nawaz Sharif) will distribute 3,601 laptops to students on April 3. The students of the Services Institute of Medical Sciences, Lahore General Hospital, De-Montmorency College of Dentistry and the University of Health Sciences would be given laptops at a ceremony on April 4. As many as 1,251 students of the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences will be given laptops on April 5. It is learnt that 945 laptops will be distributed to students of the Government Fatima Jinnah College, Chuna Mandi at a ceremony on April 6. Some 6,295 laptops will be given at a ceremony at the University of Engineering and Technology on April 7.

These universities and colleges have allocated huge funds for laptop distribution ceremonies.