SWABI, Oct 23: Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti on Saturday announced Rs190 million for the Swabi campus of Khan Abdul Wali Khan University (KAWKU), which he inaugurated here on Saturday in Anbar Elementary College building. Students have already got admission in the campus and their classes have been started. Prof Ihsan, vice-chancellor of the university, and other officials were present at the inaugural ceremony.

Mr Hoti said that efforts would be made to bring the Swabi campus of the university at par with the Mardan campus, which was developed in one year. He praised that the KAWKU got a good reputation in a short span of time and students from different regions had been getting quality education there.

He recalled that it was the desire of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan to see the Pakhtun children getting quality education. “We are happy that today we have established a campus of the university in Swabi where students of the entire district and its surrounding regions will acquire modern education,” he said.

The chief minister also distributed Watan Cards among 20 flood-affected people. It was the first time that a few people out of 1,400 flood-hit families got their cards.

He said that the Awami National Party-led government had given special importance to Swabi and it had planned to initiate big development projects in the district. He said that instructions had been issued for early completion of the ongoing projects.

Mr Hoti said that his government gave Razaar areas the status of tehsil and all requirements of this fourth tehsil would be meet very soon.

It was planned that the chief minister would also inaugurate the newly-constructed 25km Swabi-Jahangira road, but he did not turn up for the inauguration due to unknown reasons.

The CM’s advisor Mukhtiar Khan, information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain, minister for usher and zakat Haji Zar Shaid Khan, minister for higher education Qazi Asad, Bushra Gohar MNA and party’s district president Haji Rehmanullah also accompanied Mr Hoti during the visit.