ISLAMABAD: The first nursing university of the country, the foundation for which was laid by the prime minister on Jan 6 this year, seems to have had a difficult start.However, the project has been marred by delays. Minister for National Health Services (NHS) Saira Afzal Tarar said that the project for the King Hamad University of Nursing and Associated Medical Sciences was initiated in 2014, but was delayed many times. She said the ground breaking ceremony was conducted by the prime minister to ensure that the university would be constructed on that site.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Jan 6 this year laid the foundation stone for the university with a number of dignitaries from Bahrain also being present on the occasion.

“The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has been paid for the land and both the CADD minister and the Islamabad mayor are trying to get possession of the land. They have both sought a month to settle the issue,” she said.

An official of the NHS ministry said CADD was responsible for obtaining possession of land for the university.

“We will start construction work once possession of the land is ensured as the funds are being provided by Bahrain and the NHS ministry has been asked to execute the project.

University’s ground breaking was held before possession of land was ensured

King Hamad of Bahrain had in 2014 announced that he will provide funds for the university as a gift to the people of Pakistan. It was decided that the Pakistani government will arrange for the land and the utility services for the university while the construction work will be funded by Bahrain.

The King Hamad University was to be established on 237 kanals of land on Park Road, Chak Shahzad. The university will be able to house 2,000 students with 500 admissions annually and will have accommodation for 1,000 female students on campus. A delegation from Bahrain, led by Dr Shaikha Rana bint Isa bin Daij Al-Khalifa visited Islamabad last year to finalise the project.

A CADD official, on the other hand, explained that due to the land issue, the NHS ministry had wanted to hold the foundation-laying ceremony in the National Institute of Health (NIH). But CADD Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said there will be no problems in holding the ceremony at the site and also assured the locals that their grievances would be addressed.

Regarding the land issue, the official of the NHS ministry said: “We have heard the land is being occupied by relatives of the CADD minister and that even the foundation stone has gone missing.”

When the CADD minister was contacted, he said the allegations that the encroachers were his close relatives were not true. However, he said they belonged to his constituency and he did know them.

When asked about the missing foundation stone, Dr Chaudhry claimed that it was moved to the ministry and would be fixed after the university was established.

He explained that the foundation stone was moved to the ministry because there was no boundary wall around the site and a wheat crop was standing on the land.

“The decision to establish the university was made well before I became CADD minister. Though the land belongs to the CDA, the civic agency still has to pay locals the build up property,” he said.

Build up property is the amount paid to locals for the material used in the construction of their houses and other buildings.

“The university’s land is adjacent to my land and I gave the locals my word that their issues will be addressed. I am sure that they will be paid compensation in a month and we will start construction work soon after. The government of Bahrain was given Rs3 billion for the project and it will be ensured that there are no more delays in the project,” he said.

Published in Dawn February 13th, 2017