MIANWALI, Sept 13: The Punjab government has transferred 1,000 acres of land to Imran Khan’s Namal Education Foundation in Mianwali, Assistant Commissioner Raja Muhammad Ashraf told reporters on Friday.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan began working on the project in 2002 with 17 acres in Mauza Namal donated to the project by the residents.

The construction work began in 2004 and the college was functional in 2007 to be upgraded as university and an affiliate with the Bradford University, London, in the coming years.

Mr Khan sought more land in mauzas Namal and Kalry from Pervaiz Elahi’s government to build there a Knowledge City. His case remained buried in files in the pervious tenure of Shahbaz Sharif, but now Sharif’s government had awarded the land to the foundation.

The residents of Mauza Namal are not happy at the development, as they see no good to local students in land allocation and ensuing expansion of the project.

Few months ago, they got a stay order against the likely land allocation, on the plea that Mr Khan had not given admission and free education to the local students.

On Thursday, as soon as the civil court vacated the stay order, the district administration transferred the land to the foundation.

Mr Ashraf told Dawn that 4,249 kanals were in Mauza Kalri and 3,751 kanals in Mauza Namal. He said the foundation had paid Rs15 million to the Punjab government for the land.

A former councillor of Kalri, Malik Ahmed Khan, told Dawn that the residents would resist the land transfer because there were four graveyards of their ancestors on the land. He alleged Punjab government’s move implied that it was a political bribe to Mr Khan.

“The same chief minister had refused the land to the Namal Foundation when Mr Khan had no strength in assemblies,” he said. Now with presence in assemblies and a coalition government in KP, Mr Khan was acceptable to the Shahbaz government, he said.

He said the elders of both mauzas would decide about agitation and legal moves.