MIANWALI: “The presence of a quality educational institution can always change the future of an area in the course of a generation or two. Mianwali district has been without such an institution since the inception of Pakistan.”

These lines make the preamble of the project concept-I (PC-I) of the Cadet College, Mianwali. The PC-I was floated in 2002 and now after 12 years, the college remains a distant dream.

Dawn learnt that in 2002, the then federal education ministry approved cadet colleges for Pasrur, Okara, Choha Saidan Shah and Mianwali. Except for Mianwali, the remaining three cadet colleges have been functional for years.

When the then governor Khalid Maqbool wrote to the then district nazim Humair Hayat Rokri to arrange land for the college, union council nazim Shah Alam Khan, of Chiddru, announced donating 300 acres for the project.

The Punjab government approved the project in 2003 after the residents of Chhidru village donated 2,600 kanals in favour of the Defence Ministry for the cadet college.

The process was going smooth when a powerful man approached the then prime minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali in August 2003 and got issued a directive to the Education Ministry seeking a feasibility report of the college.

Long story short, the federal government changed the college site from Chhidru to Tola Mangali near Kot Chandna Afghan refugee camp in Isakhel tehsil.

According to the documents, the government released Rs200 million as the first installment for the 2,100-kanal project in 2004. Its construction stopped as soon as the money was spent.

Later on, neither the government nor the local politicians owned the project. In the PC-I, the project was estimated at Rs450 million. The present cost is Rs1,000 million.

The contractor has completed the construction of academic and admin blocks and students’ hostel. The work to be done is the construction of a boundary wall, road and staff residences.

Owls, bats and birds have found a home in the would-be cadet college at night while a serene silence rules the campus at daytime.

An office for the project was established in Mianwali and Maqbool Ahmed Shakir was appointed director. He has got transferred himself after non-availability of salaries to him.