PESHAWAR: Acknowledging financial and administrative crises in the public sector universities, adviser to the chief minister on higher education Khaleequr Rehman informed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Monday that the government was going to make drastic changes to the law to curtail the autonomy of universities.

“The universities have been misusing their autonomous status and therefore, the government has decided to restrict its autonomy through amendments in the act,” he told the house while responding to a question of Awami National Party member Waqar Ahmad Khan.

The adviser said the province’s all 31 public sector universities confronted the worst financial crisis with financial autonomy being its main cause.

He said amendments to the KP Universities Act, 2012, would be made very soon.

Mr Rehman said the government had so far released Rs640 million to the University of Swat and received Rs1 billion from the Higher Education Commission annually.

CM aide tells PA varsities facing administrative, financial crises

Speaker Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani, who chaired the sitting, said universities were ‘abusing’ their autonomy, so amendments to the relevant law were inevitable.

He directed the adviser to ensure early changes to the law.

Speaking on his supplementary question, ANP member Khushdil Khan said the vice-chancellor posts in the province’s nine public sector universities had been lying vacant.

He added that 29 universities had registrar and controller (exam) vacancies, while the government had yet to appoint the director (higher education).

The escalating prices of wheat flour also came under discussion in the house.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz lawmaker Aurangzeb Nalotha said the price of 20kg bag of Fine Atta had jumped from Rs700 to Rs1,300.

He said there was a shortage of flour on the market, so the government should take steps to reduce the prices of wheat and flour.

Pakistan Peoples Party member Nighat Yasmin Orakzai called for short- and long-term planning to make the province self-sufficient in wheat and other agricultural produces.

She suggested a ban on the conversion of farmlands into residential and commercial units for at least 10 years saying the agricultural land in the province is shrinking.

Labour minister Shaukat Ali Yousafzai said KP relied on Punjab for 80 per cent of its wheat needs.

He said flour prices had increased in Punjab, while ‘mafia’ was also behind increase in wheat price.

Special assistant to the chief minister for information Kamran Bangash said the province’s annual wheat requirement was 4.3 million tons.

He said the province’s own wheat production was around 1.1 million tons, while the remaining stock was procured from other sources.

The chief minister’s aide said the government had begun the provision of 2,000 tons of wheat on a daily basis to flour mills from July 15.

He said the price of 20kg flour bag would come down to Rs 860 soon and that the government had planned to set up 50 flour sale points in Peshawar.

Food minister Qalandar Khan Lodhi said the province would import 300,000 tons of wheat, while the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation was procuring 600,000 tons of wheat.

He added that 100,000 tons of wheat had already been procured.

The chair directed the chief secretary to take administrative measures through deputy commissioners to check flour price and ensure its availability on the market.

The assembly passed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Reproductive Healthcare Rights Act, 2020, to provide reproductive health facilities to the people and promote reproductive health rights in the province.

Members of the opposition, especially lawmakers of Mutahidda Majlis-i-Amal, opposed the bill in its current form and demanded that the proposed law be referred to the Council of Islamic Ideology or the house’s select committee for consideration.

The bill was tabled last March and only two members of the opposition had proposed amendments to it.

The government disagreed with the opposition leading to the passage of the bill.

The assembly also passed a resolution authorising the speaker to appoint chairmen of the standing committees under Rule 193 of the Assembly Rules of Business.

The committees were dissolved in March to give representation to MPAs from the merged tribal districts and of the Balochistan Awami Party.

The sitting was later adjourned until 2pm on Tuesday.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2020