Government consider opening PM’s promised G-5 university

The government of Islamabad is considering setting up a university in the Sir Syed Memorial Building at the G-5 instead of the Prime Minister’s House as a temporary measure to honor the promise made by Prime Minister Imran Khan in his inaugural address

According to some Sources, few days ago representatives from the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration held a meeting to discuss the possibilities of setting up the university in Sir Syed Memorial Society (SSMS) Complex in G-5 along Ataturk Avenue.

HEC is supposed to set up the proposed Pakistan University of Engineering and Emerging Technologies (PUEET). The representatives, after visiting the building, termed it suitable for commencement of academic activities.

Sources said HEC also wrote two letters to CDA for the rental of the complex, adding that Deputy Director of Planning and Development Asim Khanzada also held a meeting with CDA estate member Naveed Elahi., in this regard.

The university will be temporarily housed in the Sir Syed Memorial Society building; officials visit the complex, apt term to launch Pakistan University of Engineering and Emerging Technologies

The meeting was told that the lease of the building had already expired and the CDA should hand it over to the HEC for the interim setting up of PUEET.

Sources said the HEC and CDA officials sideways with the ICT director Waqas Anwar and director development and finance Ali Asghar visited the complex and termed it suitable to establish the university.

According to HEC documents, now the building is under the use of the Department of Archeology and Museum, National History and Literary Division while the secretariat of Sir Syed Memorial Society is also housed in it. The building remained in the use of a remote university from 2003 to 2018.

“The building was found purpose-built for a temporary setup of a university. It has the following amenities: Total area is around 11,666 square yards (2.5 acres), and the covered area is 100,000 square feet,” the documents showed.

The building has two open halls and a fully functional auditorium with 850 seats and a service area of 20,000 square feet.

The HEC sources said a report about the location visit had been shared with the Prime Minister’s Office through the Ministry of Education.

They said if the government accepted the proposal of setting up the university in the building, it will be a provisional arrangement as the government was planning to establish a university in the lawns of the PM House.

They said on a long-standing basis, a new campus would be set up at a valued cost of Rs23.55 billion approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) recently.

The project permitted in principle by Ecnec in May this year with the direction that the Ministry of Planning and Development should rationalize its cost and come back for formal approval within three months. The Planning Division later stated a cost cutting of a few million rupees which was accepted by Ecnec.

HEC spokeswoman Ayesha Ikram could not be approached for comment, however, a senior commission officer confirmed officials had visited the complex, adding that HEC had forwarded its report to the federal government.

The Sir Syed Memorial Society was established in 1984 by the Aligarh Old Boys’ Association as a tribute to Sir Syed Ahmed Khan. The CDA had allotted 24 kanals on Ataturk Avenue in G-5 for the construction of an auditorium, library, reading rooms and a museum.

The company later leased much of the complex to a private university which moved in 2018.

When contacted, Syed Ahmed Masood, who looks after the matters of the Sir Syed Memorial Society, said the building was owned by the company and not intended for the university. However, he said, if the government wanted to use it for a temporary period, the premises could be made available for rent.

He said the building could not be transferred to any organization because it was owned by the company.

“We are ready to cooperate with the government if it wants to use the premises on rent, but we will resist if it tries to transfer the building’s ownership,” he said.