PESHAWAR, Jan 14: The newly-appointed vice-chancellor of the University of Peshawar, Lt-Gen Mumtaz Gul (Rtd), has said the issue of the botanical garden was out of his hand and he was unable to solve the problem.

Speaking at a press briefing at the university on Wednesday, he said students and teachers were two important pivots of the university, therefore the students should give more attention to their studies rather than dictating things to the administration.

The university official said he came to know about the issue of the botanical garden through newspapers as the problem had surfaced during the tenure of the ex-vice chancellor.

"When I visited the garden, I was disappointed because the issue was blown up by the print media, but the botanical garden was in no way could be compared with any well-established and well-kept botanical garden."

The present "executive head" could not be held responsible for what had happened in the past. "I wish the students of the botany department would have waited for me to solve the matter instead of protesting in front of the assembly building or approaching the NWFP governor," he said.

They had created a problem by doing so. Now the issue would be solved by whom the botany students had approached, said Mr Mumtaz Gul categorically. The former corpse commander said he was appointed by NWFP Governor Iftikhar Hussain Shah, the chancellor of the university, and now he would fulfil his duty irrespective of the criticism that he was a military personnel and not an acamedician.