ISLAMABAD: A long-standing demand of the youth of Federally Administered Tribal Areas to have a university in Fata is still far from being fulfilled any soon.

The project of setting up the Fata University started in 2008 but it could not be materialised for various reasons. Acquiring land seems to be the main problem of the project being planned in Akhrwal area of Darra Adamkhel.

The Senate Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training at a meeting held here on Friday with Abdul Nabi Bangash in the chair expressed concern over delay in the launch of the project.

“Since long we are hearing the name of Fata University but its formation is confined to documents only. This project faced the issues of land purchase and appointment of vice-chancellor,” Mr Bangash said.

The committee was informed that the land needed for the university had been purchased in previous government’s tenure for Rs133 million.

The committee expressed apprehensions over the location and value of land and recommended setting up of a body that would look into how an institution the size of a university could be built on as small piece of land as 266 kanals.

A standard university required around 2,000 kanals and purchasing merely 266 kanals for the purpose is a joke, the chairman said.

The committee decided to hold another meeting on Tuesday and discuss the issue with all lawmakers, chief secretary of Fata Secretariat and officials of the ministries concerned.

The meeting was attended by Senators Chaudhry Jaffar Iqbal, Ilyas Bilour, Najma Hameed, Rozi Khan, Chairman Higher Education Commission Dr Mukhtar Ahmed and Executive Director Dr Mansoor Kundi.

Talking to Dawn, Dr Kundi said the project was being delayed because of a dispute over the proposed land. Besides, he added, a consensus over the name for appointment as vice chancellor had yet to be reached.

“We want to provide higher education to students of tribal areas in their area but the government has yet not decided appropriate land for Fata University. The HEC has specific budget, hence no delay from our side,” he said.

Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2015

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