PESHAWAR: The Peshawar University Teachers Association (PUTA) on Saturday moved the Peshawar High Court against the provincial government’s decision to hand over a vast piece of the land of the University of Peshawar’s botanical garden to two other universities.

The PUTA field a writ petition through its president Dr Fazli Nasir and general secretary Fayyaz Ali requesting the high court to declare the decision illegal and without justification as the land belonged to the University of Peshawar (UoP), where the Higher Education Commission has invested a huge sum of money for establishment of the botanical garden, bio-diversity centre and public park.

The petitioner said on Feb 24, the chief minister presided over a meeting during which it was decided that the UoP botanical garden and centre of bio-diversity should be shrunk from 677 kanals of land to 100 kanals and the rest of land should be given to the Air University and Technical University.

The petitioner, whose lawyers are Mian Muhibullah Kakakhel and Saifullah Muhib, prayed the court to restrain the respondents from taking any step towards handing over the said property of the UoP to any other university or organisation.

The court was also requested to order the maintenance of status quo on the matter until the decision on the petition.

The petitioner said the Syndicate of UoP approved the establishment of Centre of Plant Biodiversity, including a botanical garden, on Dec 10, 2003.

He said the HEC provided a developmental grant valuing Rs37.861 million to UoP for development of infrastructure for Centre of Plant Biodiversity and Botanical Garden.

The petitioner said the provincial government being part of Biodiversity Action Plan as per international commitment transferred 83 acres of Azakhel Park land for the establishment of Centre of Plant Biodiversity and Botanical Garden on Sept 29, 2005.

According to him, a proper deed agreement was signed between the Nowshera district government and UoP on Dec 16, 2005 in a public ceremony at Azakhel Park in the presence of the then chief minister.

The petitioner said the Botanical Garden was one of the 3,000 internationally recognised botanical gardens across the world and the only in Pakistan to be included in the elite list of Botanic Gardens in Conservation.

He said the UoP Botanical Garden enjoyed a unique position in the world botanical gardens by its special focus on education and research.— Bureau Report