SWABI: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led provincial government is spending over Rs4 billion on construction of campuses of two universities and an academic block in GIK Institute in Swabi district, sources told Dawn here on Saturday.

These projects include construction of campuses of the University of Swabi (UoS), the Women University Swabi (WUS) and an academic block in the Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology.

The UoS was established by the Awami National Party government in a makeshift building, and the PTI government has started constructing its own building. The sources said Asad Qaisar, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker, had played a key role in realising these projects, convincing the chief minister in sanctioning the funds.

They said Mr Qaisar was instrumental in establishment of the women university, adding Chief Minister Pervez Khattak had announced during his visit to the district in April last year that the provincial government would provide Rs1 billion grant for construction of a new academic block of the GIK Institute. The construction of the academic block is expected to complete soon, said the sources.

The chief minister had also laid the foundation of WUS on the premises of Government Sahibzada Khursheed Memorial Degree College, Kotha, in Sept last year. The project would cost Rs3 billion, they maintained.

The construction of UoS at 1,401 kanals of land at Anbar near Swabi interchange of Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway has been underway. When contacted, registrar of the university said work on two academic blocks and a cafeteria costing Rs1 billion was underway.

“We would get more funds gradually both from the provincial government and the Higher Education Commission,” said a varsity official.

Published in Dawn, January 28th, 2018