ISLAMABAD, Oct 15: The government has shelved a project worth Rs250 billion under which six engineering universities were planned in collaboration with various technologically-advanced countries.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) had approved funding for four universities back in 2006 and the Higher Education Commission was actively working on them and decision for the rest was in the final stages. Under the project, each university was allocated Rs42 billion for eight years.

However, the new government soon after taking over the charge, made a four-member committee with deputy chairman, Planning Commission, in the chair to revisit the project and present a report to the federal cabinet. The committee in its report suggested that project should remain intact but cut down the budget for each university from Rs42 billion to Rs18 billion without compromising its major task.

After receiving the recommendation, the federal cabinet again directed the committee to discuss the whole project with the respective provincial governments, where these universities were to be set up.

“Officially speaking, the government has frozen this whole project for the time being, and there are very grim possibilities that the government would resume it in near future,” an HEC member told Dawn on condition of anonymity.

The HEC had signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Italy, Germany, China, Austria and Sweden and discussions were on with France in this regard. Over the last couple of years, the outgoing chairman of the HEC, Dr Attaur Rehman, had hailed this project as one of his best achievements for the higher education sector in Pakistan.

In response to a question, the member HEC said, so far a total amount of Rs2 billion had been spent on this project of which a major chunk of Rs1.1 billion was paid to the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to buy a piece of land at Kuri Road, Islamabad. China had agreed to set up an engineering university in Islamabad. Sweden was collaborating to set up such a university in Sialkot; Italy and France in Karachi, Austria and Germany in Lahore.

In response to a question, the HEC member said, only Sweden had refused to come over to Pakistan citing security concerns, however, rest of the countries were still on board.

To another query, he said, though it was an ambitious project, it was being implemented successfully, adding, ongoing economic downturn and security concerns were the main causes for its freezing.