Illegal encroachment: QAU staff, students form joint action committee

Committee to help tackle issues faced by varsity including encroachment of land

ISLAMABAD: To tackle the alleged encroaching of land of the Quaid-e-Azam University, the varsity’s staff and students on Monday announced that they were forming a joint action committee (JAC).

The JAC consists of representatives from the QAU’s alumni association, academic staff association, officer welfare association, employees welfare association, Professors Dr Syed Sakhawat Shah, Dr Murtaza Mughal, Dr Anwar Iqbal, Dr Waheed Chaudhry, Rasheed Khalid, Farzana Altaf Shah , Azizul Haq Nishtar, Dr Sajid Mahmood Awan, Salman Ali, Chaudhry Riaz, Chaudhry Wajahat Latif and two student representatives of the varsity.



In its first meeting at the campus on Monday, chaired by QAU Alumni Association president Sikandar Ahmed Rai, the committee decided that it would deliberate over the legal aspects as well as mobilise the media and other stakeholders over the attempts to grab QAU land.

The committee members expressed concern over the problems being faced by QAU due to the Rs500 million rupees annual deficit the varsity was facing and the non-approval of mega PC-1. Further, due to financial constraints, the varsity had failed to hire faculty against 165 vacant slots.

According to joint declaration released after the meeting, the committee members unanimously resolved to undertake collaborative efforts to protect the university from land mafia.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 20^th, 2016.