KU vice chancellor wants bail-out package for varsity

KARACHI: Mayor Wasim Akhtar inaugurated a plantation drive at the Karachi University (KU) on Friday. He urged the students to take part in the tree plantation and make their varsity green and clean.

The mayor said that environmental pollution had to be dealt with by tree plantation. The city, he said, was facing shortage of trees and lacked greenery. “A lot of trees need to be planted so that environmental pollution can be eliminated and citizens are provided with a better environment,” he said.



He said that the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) faced the same situation as KU where the entire budget was utilised in payment of salaries and pensions. However, he said, “KU faces serious issues including financial crisis and I will request Prime Minister to help KU as he is more focused on education.”

KU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Ajmal Khan said that annually 1,500 research papers of KU get published in international journals. He said that the number of articles published could increase to 0.15 million if the government provides them with adequate support and assistance. He appealed to the PM, saying he must focus on varsities since they play an important role in the development of a nation. “I appeal to the PM to announce a bail-out package to control [KU’s] financial crisis,” he said.

Furthermore, he informed the mayor about encroachments on KU land and sought his help in this regard. The mayor assured that he would provide due support on the issue.