Restricting research: Teachers association accuses CM of contempt of court

Submits writ petition in PHC claiming demarcation carried out on botanical garden’s premises was unlawful.

PESHAWAR:

The Peshawar University Teachers Association (PUTA) has filed a writ petition at the Peshawar High Court (PHC) against Chief Minister (CM)Pervez Khattak, accusing him of violating a stay order that barred granting botanical garden land to two universities.

The petition, filed through Advocate Mian Mohibullah Kakakhel, states that the high court issued a stay order on March 15 stopping the CM from handing over a major portion of the botanical garden in Azakhel, Nowshera, to other varsities, but the order was violated.

“Despite the stay order, the CM directed his staff in Nowshera to visit the aforementioned property, which belongs to University of Peshawar (UoP), and carry out certain demarcations,” the petition reads.

It further claims that the additional district coordination officer, tehsildar and revenue staff of Nowshera visited the site on April 30 on Khattak’s directives and forcibly entered the property, threatening and insulting UoP’s security staff. The people who entered the premises told security personnel they had come on the CM’s orders to mark land meant for construction of the private-sector universities.

The petitioner also said the trespassers were shown the order but they refused to pay heed to it, adding those who visited the property for demarcation, along with the CM whose orders they were following, have committed contempt of court and need to be dealt with strictly.

It is high time that such a chief minister should be handled with an iron hand as instead of improving public sector universities, he has shown a bad example of wanting to demolish the public sector university and its research centres at the expense of his private interests, the petition further states.

The petitioner requested the court that on acceptance of this application, contempt of court proceedings be initiated against Khattak, adding the abiders, conspirators and helpers may also be directed to be located and punished for contempt.

“On March 8, PUTA had filed a writ petition stating that on February 24, the CM presided over an official meeting and directed that UoP’s botanical garden and centre of biodiversity shall shrink from 677 kanals to 100 as land should be given to the Air University and Technical University,” the petition claims.

It also states that the decision is without jurisdiction and lawful authority as the land belongs to UoP, with the Higher Education Commission investing huge sums on it for research and education purposes.

On March 15, the PHC had issued a stay order against the decision and stopped the provincial government from selling the botanical garden’s land.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 10^th, 2014.