KASUR: The proposed establishment of a university that the chief minister is yet to announce has already become controversial.

Many political figures and social circles are opposing the university project for a rural area.

A group of traders under the flag of the Anjuman-i-Tajran staged a protest demonstration at the railway station on Thursday and expressed their annoyance over ignoring the district headquarters and choosing a rural area for the university.

Earlier, Faisal Aurangzeb of Awam Dost Ittehad led a rally on Wednesday and criticised the decision of setting up a university in a rural area.

According to a notification that came to the surface the other day when the chief minister cancelled his visit to Kasur, the CM was to announce a university in PP-177 (Kanganpur area) and a campus of the Punjab University in Pattoki worth Rs400 million and Rs250 million, respectively.

The chief minister was scheduled to visit Kasur on March 19 but the visit was cancelled at the eleventh hour.

It is learnt that provincial minister retired Col Hashim Dogar claims credit for ensuring approval of development projects, including the establishment of a university, worth billions of rupees.

Sources say some political figures are backing the elements opposing the establishment of a university out of the district headquarters. They say no PTI office-bearer or leader has come to the forefront to clear the party stance over the issue.

Political analysts say PP-177 (Kanganpur area) is not proper for a university whereas Chunian tehsil is quite suitable. They say there is no state land in Kanganpur but the situation is different in Chunian where hundreds of acres of land is easily available.

The projects of Chando Begum Degree College and District Public School, both at Kanganpur, are already in the doldrums because of a lack of staff and transportation issue in the rural area.

The people of Allahabad, Chhanga Manga, Kot Radha Kishan, Talwandi, Khudian Khas, Bhoay Asal, Pattoki and even Hujra Shah Muqeem in Okara can benefit if the university is established in Chunian which is the centre of the main towns.

Some residents of Chunian and Kanganpur say the people of Kasur can go to Lahore for higher education but those of Chunian have no choice.

PTI spokesperson Qaisar Ayub says the party’s Kasur chapter has prioritised backward areas for education in the first phase.

In the second phase, he says, the PTI will establish Bulleh Shah university in the district headquarters.

Provincial Minister Dogar says the university will be established in Chunian and Kanganpur is being named only because he is from the area.

Published in Dawn, March 26th, 2021