MIANWALI, May 16: “The presence of a quality educational institution can always change the future of an area in course of a generation or two. Mianwali district has remained unprivileged for such an institution since the inception of Pakistan.” Such are the opening lines of PC-1 form highlighting the justification for the establishment of a cadet college in Mianwali.

Cadet colleges are considered to be symbols of excellence in quality education. The theme of education in its broad spectrum embraces the idea of comprehensive grooming of youth in knowledge as well as character-building.

Mianwali district, the abode of valiant and talented people, remained deprived of such quality educational institutions. In fact, the entire southern and central Punjab did not have any institution like a cadet college, except PAF College, Sargodha. Perhaps it was because of this sense of deprivation that notable sons of the soil like AVM Shaheed Abdul Razzaq and MNA Imran Khan had been trying for the establishment of a cadet college in Mianwali. Their dreams seemed to be coming true when Governor Khalid Maqbool announced the establishment of a cadet college in Mianwali while speaking at a public gathering on Jan 24, 2002. The announcement was followed by directives for the preparation of a feasibility report of this project.

On his second visit here on Sept 28, 2002, the district government identified the establishment of a cadet college in Mianwali as its main issue in the education sector. After this visit of the governor, another letter No SO (P-III) 1-88/2002 dated Lahore, Oct 25, 2002, from the education department under the governor’s directive sought reports with comments from the Minawali district government, within three days regarding the project. Consequently, in a meeting of the district council, the nazim required all members to come forward for a voluntary donation of 300 acres of land for the proposed college. None of the nazims, except Chhidru UC Nazim Shah Alam Khan, stepped forward to announce the donation of the required land.

The official processing of the project was in progress when Federal Land Commission Chairman Inayatullah Khan, hailing from Isakhel tehsil, approached with a PC-I of the cadet college, Isakhel, the then PM Zafarullah Khan Jamali in August, 2003. The latter issued a directive to the Education Ministry for a feasibility report of the college. The directive stated that recurrent expenditure of the project would be borne by the Punjab government, besides the supply of land for it. However, the project could not get approval at that time.

It appears the presentation of a so-called PC-I by Mr Khan was an attempt to divert the current process for the establishment of a cadet college to his own tehsil. Nonetheless, the earlier move by the district government for the project continued.

The Punjab chief minister had been pleased to approve the place situated at Chhidru village for the project, and residents of the village transferred voluntarily 2,600 kanals in favour of the Defence Ministry for the construction of the cadet college. Earlier, the education secretary had authorized the Mianwali district government to approve the scope of work keeping in view the modern and scientific vision of the college at Chhidru. Accordingly, the scope of work prepared on the pattern of the plan devised by the chief architect was approved.

Now when the project is in the final stage with the federal government, some people have started airing doubts that the project may fail altogether. They seem oblivious of the untold loss that it may cause to the people of district because of their tug-of-war for a petty political point-securing exercise. They are putting out press statements that the proposed site for the project is a far-flung area, and that the people of Isakhel are being deprived of their rights, forgetting the sentiments of the people of two other tehsils of the district.

Anyway the statements are baseless and malafide. The proposed site approved by the district government as well as the Punjab government is located at Chhidru hardly at a distance of 22km in the east of Mianwali city whereas Isakhel is at distance of about 100km from it. The proposed site is connected at a distance of 10km in the north with the Mianwali-Rawalpindi Road and in the south at the same distance with the Mianwali-Lahore Road. It is midway between the PAF establishment at Sakesar in the east and the PAF base at Mianwali in the west. There is perennial spring with abundant water close to the proposed site, besides the scenic view. These positive characteristics make it the most suitable place for a cadet college.

Residents of the Chhidru union council and all social circles of Mianwali feel that influential personalities are bent upon misleading the federal government, and urged that the decision of the district government should be honoured. They requested all those involved to stop politicizing the project, lest it may bring a huge loss to Mianwali district.