RAWALPINDI: The provincial government has decided to establish a university at Punjab House in Murree and work on the project will be started next week.

A senior official of the district administration told Dawn that the government had decided to set up Kohsar University in the hilly resort town.

Officials led by the additional chief secretary visited the site on Saturday and gave the go-ahead signal to the district administration to start the work.

After establishment of Kohsar University in Punjab House Murree, decision will be taken about varsities in other tehsils of the district, official says

He said after meeting local lawmakers led by MNA Sadaqaat Abbasi, the officials finally decided that the new university would be set up at Punjab House.

He said there were proposals to establish universities in each tehsil of the district. There is also a plan to convert Rawalpindi’s Punjab House and Governor’s Annexe at Civil Lines into varsities.

The higher education authorities of the province and Prime Minister’s Political Adviser Naeemul Haq visited Punjab House Rawalpindi last month to check whether it could be converted into a university.

“But the government will take a decision on it in a week or two,” said the official.

He said Federal Minister for Petroleum Ghulam Sarwar Khan also wanted to establish a university in Taxila but there was no vacant space available in the area.

He said the government had asked the district administration to find suitable sites for setting up of universities in different tehsils.

The revenue department has started work to find suitable places for establishment of universities in other tehsils, he added.

Deputy Commissioner Chaudhry Mohammad Ali Randhawa told Dawn that Punjab House Murree would be converted into a university and the government would soon approve the project.

He said for the establishment of a university, more than 80 kanals was needed and the total land of Punjab House Murree was more than 86 kanals.

He said the provincial government also had some extra land near Murree Brewery which could be utilised for the university. He said the government had directed to prepare the project for its approval and release of funds.

The DC said local lawmakers and the residents had been demanding establishment of a university for long.

Initially, Kohsar University will be established in Murree and after this the government will decide about opening of universities in other parts of the district, he added.

Published in Dawn, April 1st, 2019