The Peshawar University Teachers Association (PUTA) has rejected the provincial government’s decision to take back Azakhel Park from the University of Peshawar where it has established botanical garden and give it to a privately-run Air University (AU).
The teaching fraternity, which is also supported by the other employees’ associations of the university, declared to launch a protest campaign against the decision. A combined meeting of the PUTA, Class-III and Class-IV associations that was chaired by PUTAs president Dr Fazle Nasir worked out a plan for the protest drive, which would be announced at a press conference today (Wednesday).
The participants of the meeting expressed serious concern over the decision. They said the then provincial government in 2005 had allocated the park to the university for establishment of Institute of Biodiversity on a 99-year lease. The university since then has made investment worth millions in the park, they said.
But now all of a sudden, the present government has decided to end the lease and give a major portion of the park to a private university, which, they said, was illegal. They vowed to resist the provincial government’s decision tooth and nail
Source: The News.
