OKARA: A tussle has erupted between the education department and Auqaf department over the ownership of the land of the Govt Islamia Higher Secondary School, New Campus, Okara, 60 years after its establishment.

According to the school principal, Imtiaz Ali Mian, two weeks ago, a two-member team of the Auqaf department, consisting retired Col Zahid and Inspector Amjad, arrived and informed him that school had possession of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) land, which should be returned to the Auqaf Dept. They allegedly warned him of police action to take back possession from the land.

The school has a long history. It was running in Jalandhar (United India) as the Jalandhar Islamia High School (JIHS) set up by an educationist, Sheikh Abdul Haq. After the Partition, it started functioning in the Auqaf building on 4 kanal land in the heart of the city under the same name as the Jalandhar Islamia High School (JIHS), Okara.

The school had a new a wing in 1965, which started functioning in 1966 under the name of the Islamia High School, New Campus, Okara, on Faisalabad Road. During the nationalisation in 1972 by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, this school became an independent unit. It was upgraded as the Govt Islamia Higher Secondary School (GIHSS ), New Campus, Okara, in 2017.

Auqaf officials’ visit to historical school and ‘threats’ to principal raise concerns

After the Auqaf officials’ visit, the principal had correspondence with its district education authority (DEA) and office of the secondary school district education officer (DEO) regarding the total land of the school area. Later, the school administration, on its own, scrutinised the land record. The secondary portion of the school building is 15 acres, 4 kanal and 12 marlas.

Further, from the school record, it surfaced that on Dec 30, 2024, the DEO (female), vide a letter, indicated that according to the Federal ETPB letter no P(1)-48/(6)/76/6963, dated 16-08-1984, all the schools and madaris built on evacuee lands were directed to be transferred to these schools and madressahs. So since then, the property in question was owned by the Govt Islamia Higher Secondary School, Okara.

The sources in the education department said the Auqaf officials’ visit amounted to harassment and clear violation of the federal government’s order of 1984. They said that the GIHSS administration, under its DEA Okara, would look into the matter accordingly under the law if the Auqaf officials continue harassment.

Chaudhry Yousaf Kahloon of the DEA, in his office, told Dawn that the authority had the complete land record of the land of the school as well as other education institutions.

“The Auqaf officials had no right to make the claims as they did regarding the lands in possession of the land allotted to the school six decades ago and later transferred to the school on the direction of ETPP on June 12, 1984,” he added.

When this correspondent called Auqaf Deputy Director Taj Muhammad Niazi and asked him regarding the visit of the department team to the school and demanding the possession of land. Mr Niazi said, “I am here on acting charge and after two days, I will let you know about the issue after going through the office record”. But later on, Mr Niazi did not respond to the call and messages on his WhatsApp.

The residents of the area demanded PML-N parliamentarians MNA Chaudhry Riazul Haq Juj, MPA Mian Muhammad Munir, school education department and Deputy Commissioner Ahmad Usman Javaid to take notice of the issue and visit of the Auqaf team.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2025