ISLAMABAD: Rejecting Wapda’s plea in which it sought eviction of its building from Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology, the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday granted a year to the university to operate in the building as currently more than 5,000 students were enrolled there.

The Islamabad campus of the Federal Urdu University is being run in Wapda House in G-7 on rent since 2003. However due to some reasons, Wapda filed a lawsuit with the Rent Controller Islamabad in 2012 seeking vacation of its property. The decision went in favour of Wapda. The decision was also upheld by the Islamabad High Court after which the university approached the Supreme Court.

On Wednesday, a two-member bench, comprising Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Umar Ata Bandial, gave the university a period of one year to move out of the building.

During the course of hearing, the varsity’s counsel, advocate Asad Hussain Ghalib, requested the court to give two years time to the university to shift its campus from its present location.

Wapda’s Director General Services Khalid Hussain pleaded before the court that the building should be vacated by the university.

The authority’s counsel told the bench that the Capital Development Authority had cancelled the lease of his client’s building under the pretext that the building was not being used for the purpose it was acquired. However he said the civil court had granted stay to Wapda against the CDA notice. He also said the university had defaulted on the rent, while the university’s additional registrar, Shah G. Mohammad, apprised the court that at present, the university was paying Rs3 million rent to Wapda.

Justice Gulzar Ahmed observed that neither the university nor Wapda were profit-making institutions so it would be better for both parties to deliberate on the issue.

After hearing both parties, the bench granted a year’s time to the university to vacate the building.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2017