Abuse of power: NAB’s occupation of RMC girls’ hostel continues

Girls keep suffering; minister says it is difficult to give a date.

ISLAMABAD:

The government on Monday refused to give a date for vacating the Rawalpindi Medical College (RMC) girls’ hostel, which has been illegally occupied by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for the past 11 years.

The snub comes after months of protest by college students, who decided last month to take their building back by force in November. The students were even assured by the Prime Minister that swift action would be taken on the issue.

NAB, on the other hand, is continuing its business in the building. Officials from NAB have said that they will only vacate the RMC premises after they find an alternate place.

Federal Law Minister Moula Bakhsh Chandio responded to a question raised by Senator SM Zafar of PML-Q, an ally of the PPP-led government, by telling the upper house of parliament that an exact timeframe to vacate RMC girls’ hostel cannot be given before alternate accommodation becomes available.

However, he said that the Cabinet and Works Divisions are working to resolve this issue and that the girls’ hostel building will be vacated within 14 days of a suitable building being allotted to NAB. The minister wrongly mentioned that ‘RMC Boys Hostel No 3’ is under the occupation of NAB, where it had established three accountability courts.

Due to the situation created by the top accountability body of the country, hundreds of students have been deprived of safe and affordable accommodation. Some live outside the college in private apartments, while a considerable number of female students live in the servant quarters and study halls at RMC.

At present, the ratio of girls’ students is 80 per cent of the total strength of the new classes, said a student, adding that students had approached the administration several times but even they cannot do much.

PML-N lawmaker Hanif Abbasi told The Express Tribune that a building near Committee Chowk was available a few months back, but the NAB officials did not avail the opportunity. A senior NAB official said that the main issue was rent for the building.

He said that NAB was not in a position to bear extra financial burden. “NAB has not paid any rent for the RMC girls’ hostel in the past 11 years,” he added.

Law Minister Chandio also informed lawmakers about the history of the issue. He said that the Government of Punjab had allotted RMC Girls Hostel to National Accountability Bureau Rawalpindi in March 2000. It had been lying vacant for eight years at the time. Now, on the demand of the students, RMC and the Rawalpindi District Administration are asking NAB to vacate the building. Considering that the demand of the students are genuine, NAB has been striving hard to find a suitable building to house the offices of NAB Rawalpindi, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 3^rd, 2011.