Prime Minister House to be converted into high-quality postgraduate institute: minister
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Minister for Education Shafqat Mehmood announced on Thursday that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government will turn the Prime Minister House into a postgraduate university of a high quality.
Addressing a press conference regarding the new government's plans for state-owned properties, the minister announced that additional construction will also be carried out on the land behind the residence meant for the premier after a formal plan is devised in this regard.
The PM House is spread over 1,096 kanals and Rs 470 million are spent on its upkeep annually, said Mehmood, who was heading a committee formed to decide how government-owned buildings could be utilised in public interest.
"[The] PM House will become a high-quality university or institution that will be unique with its education in Pakistan," he said.
In his first address to the nation after being elected, Prime Minister Imran Khan had announced that he would be staying in a "three-bedroom house that served as the military secretary's residence", instead of the Prime Minister House.
"I wish that the PM House will be turned into a university. It is in a great location to be one," Khan had said at the time.
Murree
The minister announced that the Government House in Murree, which the Punjab government had spent Rs600m on recently, will be transformed into a "heritage boutique hotel".
"You can see gold plating on the commodes in the bathrooms of the [building]," Mehmood said, adding that around Rs35m are spent on the property's maintenance every year.
The Punjab House in Murree, the annual expenses of which are Rs25m, would be turned into a tourist resort. The transformation will be done by the private sector, however, the Punjab government will carry out the formalities, Mehmood announced.
Rawalpindi
A Punjab House, with a Governor's Annexe attached to it, is located in Rawalpindi's central district. Spread over 70 kanals, the property is used a rest house and Rs40m is spent on its upkeep annually, the minister revealed.
The rest house will either be converted into a higher education institute for IT/incubation centre, or the National College of Arts in Pindi will be shifted to this building, Mehmood announced.
Lahore
The Governor House in Lahore is spread over 700 kanals, the minister revealed. The schools and vocational training institutes located on its compound will be separated and the Governor House itself would be converted into a museum and an art gallery. The property's grounds will be opened to the public as a park, which will include a small zoo.
According to the minister, former Punjab chief minister was using 90 Shahrah-i-Quaid-i-Azam in Lahore as one of his offices. This building, the annual maintenance cost of which is Rs80m, will be transformed into a craft museum and a hall within it will be changed into a convention centre which will be rented out for events, he announced.
The Chanda House in Lahore will be turned into Governor Office as an alternative to the expansive Governor's House.
A state guest house situated on Mall Road, the upkeep of which costs Rs5m annually, will be converted into a five-star hotel, the minister revealed.
Karachi
The government plans to transform the Governor House in Karachi into a museum and bring its parkland into public use. These plans will be executed in consultation with the Sindh government.
Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, meanwhile, will shift into a state guest house in the city.
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On DawnNews
Comments (89) Closed
Sep 13, 2018 02:20pm
What will be the fate of the university students who will be studying in the University when PTI government ends?
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Sep 13, 2018 02:30pm
Yes, that's my party.....PTI
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Sep 13, 2018 02:32pm
Fantastic, no more lets have a meeting in Murree at poor public's expense.
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Sep 13, 2018 02:33pm
Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.
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Sep 13, 2018 02:38pm
It is proposed to have campus of Harvard, Oxford and Cambridge in such buildings with hostels. And educate lower middle class students on merit.
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Sep 13, 2018 02:45pm
Dramas to fool common people. Everything has its place so who do they think they are fooling. PM house and government buildings are not a joke. Why not just have parliament in a rented hall and use the parliament for a school too. Why stop Mr. Khan - you can fool more people with these dramas.
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Sep 13, 2018 02:46pm
Great going it all starts from the top. Thank you Imran Khan for paving the way for the progressive Pakistan, the dream of our Quaid.
Pakistan Zindabad!
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Sep 13, 2018 03:00pm
Great decisions!
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Sep 13, 2018 03:01pm
It would be much better to sell these buildings and land to the private sector and use the money generated straight into the dams funds
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Sep 13, 2018 03:03pm
Great decision by the new P.T.I. administration to convert the Prime Minister House in Islamabad into a master's level institution of higher learning and open the Governor's houses in Lahore and Karachi for the public including making similar high-end government buildings accessable for the people. Well done and keep it up.
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Sep 13, 2018 03:04pm
Good intentions Shafqat Sahab but please dont forget that it is high quality faculty that makes universities and not buildings! The nation's best university was started in 3 rented houses, where we mentored our students and we built a brand name there. Only 8 years later did we move to a place with buildings and grounds etc.
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Sep 13, 2018 03:05pm
If this is turned into reality then an epoc making era for the history of Pakistan.
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Sep 13, 2018 03:11pm
PTI led government should get over optics obsession as this will not make a difference to the nation's multi dimensional struggles. The lukewarm rather cold response on opening of governor houses should have been lesson enough to put off more such announcements. Come to think of it, opening of Governor houses or PM house will not lesson the debt in anyway or nor add a single dollar to the economy or exchequer so get over it and do something real for a change than relying on optics and optics alone !!
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Sep 13, 2018 03:17pm
Please, spare the "PM House" building and land. Now you have your own govt and resources, you can buy land any place and make a high-quality unique university or institution in Pakistan."
Apart from it, concentrate on how to improve the standard of institutions already working...Invest money in already established institutions for achieving better results.
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Sep 13, 2018 03:17pm
Is there no work better then this at the moment, except to say ,will convert this into that ,that into that.This is land is lying here ,that government building is a waste of public money.?
Improve the existing infrastructure of hospitals and educational institutions.
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Sep 13, 2018 03:20pm
Now, lots of odd/ill comments will come to malign this great initiative. The only way to go ahead, is spend as much as on education & health and cut such non-development expenditure.
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Sep 13, 2018 03:24pm
Good idea.
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Sep 13, 2018 03:25pm
Islamabad already has too many institutes and universities. Kindly stop this drama and concentrate on universities establishment in South Punjab, Balochistan and Internal Sindh.
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Sep 13, 2018 03:28pm
Bravo Bravo!
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Sep 13, 2018 03:30pm
Wow so students will study in Pm house what a achiement and what will happen after 5 years back to no roof buildings.
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Sep 13, 2018 03:36pm
Good ideas but good execution will be critical
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Sep 13, 2018 03:37pm
Last time I checked, the PM House was in a high security zone with the Supreme Court and different embassies in close quarters. If it is converted into a university, how will the security be managed?
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Sep 13, 2018 03:43pm
Great initiative
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Sep 13, 2018 03:43pm
Well done and keep it up.
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Sep 13, 2018 03:53pm
What about governor houses and CM house in Kpk and Balochistan?
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Sep 13, 2018 03:56pm
Great steps indeed
Very well done!!!
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Sep 13, 2018 04:00pm
first time in my life I can feel Pakistan is going in
right direction.
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Sep 13, 2018 04:03pm
Please convert IK Bani Gala house into something, leave government property aside.
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Sep 13, 2018 04:03pm
Salute you the prime minister.
Best wishes.
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Sep 13, 2018 04:06pm
Please turn your actions into deeds
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Sep 13, 2018 04:07pm
And when the new administration comes they will build new one's.
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Sep 13, 2018 04:12pm
Lot of talk no action, talked about it when there is something concrete.
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Sep 13, 2018 04:15pm
Why isn't the KP house in Islamabad included? It is said that just their bill for tea and cookies served ran into crores.
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Sep 13, 2018 04:18pm
Good universities are made by good teachers and good students and not from good buildings.
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Sep 13, 2018 04:23pm
What about Bani Gala?????
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Sep 13, 2018 04:23pm
Good initiatives, much appreciated.
I hope Govt. would have taken into account the risks associated with daily influx of students in that Red Zone (where PM house is located in Islamabad).
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Sep 13, 2018 04:27pm
@Prof Wasif M Khan I ask were governers and prime minister of that time living in such luxurious buildings? Of course not. So how can u compare ur time to this very time?
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Sep 13, 2018 04:28pm
Not a wise decision at all.
Had the PM House been located elsewhere, one could have accepted the decision with reservations. The present location of PM House is in an exclusive high-security zone and the coming and going of ordinary citizens there would imperil the general security of the area where not just the PM lives but also the President and other Sensitive Government buildings are located.
While one can understand the philosophy behind the move, one must remember that such buildings are the State symbols and these do not belong to the individuals (President, PM) who live there. In the first place, such huge structures should not have been built and that too in a poor country like Pakistan. But once the mistake was committed, it was not wise to turn them into public places.
I hope the government understands the logic. It should not take myopic decisions which have an emotional appeal. It should show maturity. It should rather drastically cut the expenditure of such houses.
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Sep 13, 2018 04:30pm
Convert it into a museum.
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Sep 13, 2018 04:34pm
History in the making, this government has delivered in few days what other parties did not achieve in decades.
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Sep 13, 2018 04:37pm
@Humza
Hold ur horses, one step at a time. All of these fancy buildings will go to the people of Pakistan, don’t worry.
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Sep 13, 2018 04:39pm
Wait for the U-Turn!
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Sep 13, 2018 04:43pm
Educational institutions and art galleries need careful planning and suitable architecture to suit a specific purpose. I hope these decisions are well thought out and not gimmicks. Initial decisions by the PTI have not been well thought out examples being crowd funding dams or setting up EAB.
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Sep 13, 2018 04:45pm
@Humza Cuz these big governor houses are meant for 1 person as opposed to Parliament where hundreds of lawmakers sit, discuss Pakistans issues and formulate new laws! Use common sense next time before critiquing. Being critical just because of the fact you don't like Imran is just ridiculous.
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Sep 13, 2018 04:52pm
Proposal 1: A program equivalent to what Harvard Unuvetsity teach under the Harvard Graduate School of Design - a new way of creating thinkers and problem solvers
Propsal 2: Convert PMH into a Federal Office (do not have a proper name in my mind) where the bankers, venture capitalists, the medical doctors and business men mingle with the youth of Pskistan - for initiatives to pruduce new goods and services as per supply - demand fundamentals - and curb imports to address trade balance issue on long term basis). This department will also helping creating and promoting industry clusters in Pakistan such as promoting surgical industry in Sialkot and motor industry in Gojaranwala, etc.
Proposal 3: Converting PMH into a children hostel for all Pakistani high school and below children for over night stay and then taking those children to show the Northern Beauty of Pakistan. Also showing them the histrory of Pakistan. Giving them a free tour of big cities. That will generate pride for Pakistan. We should start respecting and caring our youth.
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Sep 13, 2018 04:52pm
@Israr Khan Ismailzai very True.. People are getting emotional.....It good gesture that such a Palace is not being used by the PM....it need a moral values to have this decision...ask Nawaz...would he let go this luxury of living in PM house willingly....No Sir...This is not his mind set....He believes in being a King and Kingdom and Palaces...Still Jati Umra issue no less than a Palace...where the hell the money came from to build such a huge Palace....Off courses our tax money.....
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Sep 13, 2018 04:52pm
Corruption supporters just crying on decisions ...
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Sep 13, 2018 04:53pm
hope successive govt,wil carry forward the legacy n vision, let's be optimistic , need a radical change in society , n i have hope sir imran wil deliver the best, n take out Pakistan from the clutches of fundamentalism
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Sep 13, 2018 04:55pm
These buildings are heritage of pakistan and carry history behind walls and current government is trying to destroy them. If nations do not protect their heritage and history they destroy.
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Sep 13, 2018 04:58pm
@Adnan Banni Galla is ik personal property .... purchased through hard earned money ...
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Sep 13, 2018 05:01pm
Govt should include Dr AQ Khan to a cabinet for reforms in the science and technical education system of Pakistan.
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Sep 13, 2018 05:03pm
@Abdul have you checked the fee structure of the universities mentioned. They are not affordable for lower middle class of UK or US.
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Sep 13, 2018 05:04pm
@Humza pm house should be a normal house not a multi canal building. Parliament is where the legislater sits and therefore needs to be large. Please dont compare an apple with an orange it makes you look silly.
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Sep 13, 2018 05:12pm
Wrong decsion. It should be converted into a highend arts and cultural museum. Pakistan history etc.
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Sep 13, 2018 05:17pm
@Umer Salahuddin - if the architect is unique and history attached then the building be preserved. Any additions should enhance building architect - no need to be emotional - simplicity is good but that does not means we destroy history and architect, rather we promote art and unique architect in Pakistan. Pskistan do not have a single new building if you look and say WOW. We need WOW in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta etc. That WOW gives tourist a pleasure.
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Sep 13, 2018 05:18pm
Great move. Make it happen please
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Sep 13, 2018 05:20pm
Imran Khan will not be the PM forever. Where will the Next PM stay? We will end up paying for a new PM house. Think 10 years ahead, not 10 minutes!
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Sep 13, 2018 05:23pm
Historic initiatives only boost public morale and confidence into the state.
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Sep 13, 2018 05:26pm
@BilawaL Ali so that he can further make billions by prolifing and profting?
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Sep 13, 2018 05:27pm
Don't make decision in haste. First you PTI govt. will put million (if not billions) to covert to University and the next govt. will spend more to covert back. SUGGESTION. Convert for rental space for offices and make money for tax payer.
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Sep 13, 2018 05:31pm
@Arif A very genuine question.
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Sep 13, 2018 05:39pm
PTI you are only going to be there for five years. After that you might not be reelected and your successor might want to use the PM house and Gov Houses. The reality is every government facility is just entrusted to you for a five year term. You are a Custodian. You are not there forever.
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Sep 13, 2018 05:39pm
This is all good for public consumption and for wah wah purposes. The residence of pm or president in every country is a magnificent building. This is also located in a high security area and induction of thousands students would become a high risk area, previously pm house vecihles were auctioned. They were meant for high placed guests and 10 vehicles is just a normal phenomenon. These are just superficial cuts and have no bearing on the economy. There are 36 ministers in Punjab government where only 10 can do.
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Sep 13, 2018 06:01pm
@Arif It will continue as university.
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Sep 13, 2018 06:18pm
Good decision. Now instead of dwelling on the negatives in these comments, lets discuss the positives and the possibilities of how to utilize them in the best way. Emphasis should be made on transferring the properties to a trust so no future PMs, CMs, governors, etc. dare to think about moving back into these palaces.
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Sep 13, 2018 06:19pm
Here's a thought. How about just leaving it under minimal maintenance for the next democratically elected Prime Minister?
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Sep 13, 2018 06:20pm
@Arif
Let's see if the next PM will have the guts to convert a functioning university back to his residence.
PTI needs to get this approved by Parliament.
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Sep 13, 2018 06:51pm
@Arif doesnt' matter university will be there inshallah and students will sturdy. now no one will reverse the tide
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Sep 13, 2018 06:53pm
We have reasons to be wary of the promises of PTI. We will wait and see.
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Sep 13, 2018 06:57pm
Good decision, should do the same to Governor house Lahore Huge space to create a big higher education institute and research facility.
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Sep 13, 2018 06:59pm
@Bitter Truth "Good universities are made by good teachers and good students and not from good buildings." Rana Sanaullah and Abid Sher Ali will teach there.
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Sep 13, 2018 07:00pm
It is a great idea. Higher a real scholar to establish a research institute related to science and technology. Professorer Perwaiz Hoodbhoy will be one of the most suitable candidate for this position.
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Sep 13, 2018 07:07pm
""[The] PM House will become a high-quality university or institution that will be unique with its education in Pakistan," How is a university conceived normally? Do you plan the building first or the faculty? If the faculty is ready for action but no building was made available to house it, that could have made sense.
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Sep 13, 2018 07:37pm
@Socrates - Valid points
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Sep 13, 2018 07:46pm
@rizwan This step is being done to save tax payers money if you pay tax diligently, otherwise, you should appreciate it rather continue bleeding with expenses on its upkeep, just add all those mentioned expenses which may increase in future if used by the govt in its present form. So, appreciate the action instead of criticizing the good intention of austerity.
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Sep 13, 2018 08:08pm
This Government's initiatives are remarkable.
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Sep 13, 2018 08:25pm
They will be accommodated in an open university that exists in the name of the poet of the East!
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Sep 13, 2018 08:32pm
Some of all of these places would be good as training institutions for higher judiciary. Maybe then we will have a judiciary that deserves respect for its interventions.
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Sep 13, 2018 08:45pm
@Humza Thats typical VIP mentality.We should prioritise Education in the first place.
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Sep 13, 2018 08:59pm
We all know that the pm house is situated in the high security zone. It will be impossible to start a learning institute of sorts in that area. Why the haste in announcing something which is not possible to achieve?
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Sep 13, 2018 09:18pm
Waiting to hear Raiwand Palace being turn into a public education institute!
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Sep 13, 2018 09:54pm
C'mon man have some serious work rather than non-issues.
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Sep 13, 2018 10:01pm
Why don't fix the existing institute which are in dire straits. Please first make long term education policies.
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Sep 13, 2018 10:27pm
Nice Initiative...best wishes from India
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Sep 13, 2018 11:22pm
The condition of existing museums in country is not good, first maintain them so nicely that public is attracted., there after think of adding more such museums. or introduce new type of museums. I will suggest an education museum. With history of education in different countries specially advance western countries. New learning and teaching methods Exhibition of syllabus books in different countries.Museum should prepare documentaries for creating interest for higher studies for bright students. Shafqat saheb please think about this suggestion.
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Sep 14, 2018 04:50am
There are no public parks in either of these main capital cities. Karachi,lahore,islamabad. The best use of it is to open it for General Public. Some museums/or other things of public interest may be opened in it and a token fee should be charged to maintain its greenery and cleanliness. This way these places will be available for any national needs. Any other usage will give tools to opposition and they will exploit it as much as they can.
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Sep 14, 2018 05:03am
Just do it. Tired of your pronouncements.
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Sep 14, 2018 01:30pm
@Arif PTI is here to stay! :)
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Sep 14, 2018 07:56pm
If not discussed in the Parliament, this issue may go to court of law. Only one party can not be authority for such decisions.
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