PESHAWAR, March 11: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has approved funds for the new campus building of the Institute of Management Sciences (IMS) which is to be built on 70 kanals of land.

The IMS, which grew out of the University of Peshawar and attained the status of an autonomous body in September 2005, wanted to construct a separate building in the face of the pressing need for space to accommodate the growing number of students.

The institute is currently functioning in three rented buildings.

“Funding was our main problem and this was the reason due to which construction of a new building could not be started so far,” said Dr Nasir Ali Khan, director of the IMS.

It is learnt that work on the first phase of the new building has started and the HEC has approved Rs495 million for the purpose.

The students would be shifted in a period of two years to the new block, said Mr Khan.1