PESHAWAR: On Friday, Governor Faisal Karim Kundi of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa issued a directive prohibiting the sale or lease of university lands across the province. This decision follows a stay order from the Peshawar High Court, which halted any transactions involving university land in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The Principal Secretary has formally instructed all universities in the province to refrain from initiating any actions related to the sale or lease of their lands. Governor Kundi stressed that as long as he serves as Chancellor, no university will be permitted to sell even a small portion of its land.
In his statement, Governor Kundi criticized previous proposals to convert the President’s House and the Prime Minister’s House into universities, accusing those proposals of undermining the existing institutions rather than supporting them.
The context for this decision includes recent financial difficulties faced by the largest university in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Last year, the university struggled with severe financial issues, including an inability to pay employee salaries and halted projects due to insufficient funds. The institution required Rs 300 million to cover salaries and pensions, but the Higher Education Commission (HEC) did not provide the full budget, and student fees were not paid on time.
The Vice Chancellor reported that employee protests resulted in a loss of Rs 200 million. The university was dealing with an overall loss of Rs 350 million, and salary payments were heavily dependent on timely fee submissions by students.
Governor Kundi’s directive aims to prevent further financial strain on universities by ensuring their assets are protected from being sold or leased.
