Disputed dues: ‘Islamia University owes Rs8.5 million to hostels’

Hostels housing over a 100 students not paid for 8 years, university denies liability.

BAHAWALPUR:

The Islamia University Bahawalpur (IUB) has not paid Rs8.5 million in rent for using the Khawaja Farid Government Post-Graduate College (KFGPC) hostel, a letter from the KFGPC administration to the Higher Education secretary and IUB vice chancellor says.

The letter also states that the students of the KFGPC were facing housing problems since its hostels had been occupied by the IUB. .

Professor Muhammad Akram Chaudhry, the KFGPC principal, told The Express Tribune that the college had admitted around 3,000 students for the academic year 2012-13 but was facing problems housing them since the IUB had occupied two of its hostels.

“Most of our students are from out of city and require housing but the IUB has occupied both Liaqat Hostel and Iqbal Hostel,” he said.

He said that the rent for the two hostels had never been paid.

“The IUB is using the Iqbal Hostel as a sub-campus while the Liaqat Hostel is being used as a student hostel.

The rent for 90 months is outstanding for the former and 80 months of rent for the use of the latter,” he said.

He said if the letter did not yield a positive outcome, the college would resort to legal action against the university.

IUB Rahim Yar Khan Campus Director Shakir Ali Ghazali told The Express Tribune that the hostels were allotted by former governor Khalid Maqbool to IUB for the Rahim Yar Khan Campus. “There is no agreement stating that the IUB is renting the building…the KFGPC administration have never demanded rent earlier,” he said.

Ghazali said some of the teachers at the college wanted to teach at the university but were denied the opportunity because they were not qualified.

“They are now blackmailing us,” he said. He said the college administration should get in touch with IUB with written proof of a rent agreement. “The renovations we have done on the buildings have cost us more than the rent being demanded,” he said.

Ghazali further denied that the KFGPC administration had sent them any letter. He said they would respond if the higher education secretary took up the matter.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 15^th, 2012.