RAWALPINDI: Seven years after their foundation stones were laid by leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q), the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has not been able to finish constructing the campuses of three Rawalpindi colleges.

The institutions, which include the Dhoke Syedan Degree College for Boys, the Dhoke Syedan Degree College for Girls and the Postgraduate College For Women in Saddar.

Sources in the education department told Dawn these projects may yet be delayed further because the government had not earmarked any funds for this purpose in the annual development scheme or the in budget for the current fiscal year.

The two under-construction degree colleges are located on the same premises and fall in the NA-54 constituency, represented in the National Assembly by ruling party lawmaker Malik Ibrar Ahmed. The postgraduate college is located in NA-55 – the constituency of Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, who laid the foundation stone of this college back in 2007.

Construction work stalled for over seven years due to ‘political reasons’

Residents of Dhoke Syedan say that the ruling PML-N is ignoring the two colleges because they were projects initiated by the PML-Q government and inaugurated by then-minister Raja Mohammad Basharat in 2007.

However, local MPA Malik Ifthikar, who is also the younger brother of MNA Malik Ibrar, claims that the PML-Q had nothing to do with these colleges. He said work on the college buildings had been initiated under the PML-N government in 2008.

“I admit that the work has been delayed, but the foundation stone was laid by our leader Chaudhry Nisar, who was leader of the opposition at the time,” Iftikhar said.

However, locals offer a different version of events. They said Raja Basharat inaugurated the colleges a year earlier, but the PML-N, after coming into power, had the project re-inaugurated.

“Pervez Elahi, who was chief minister at the time, approved the grant for these colleges at my request while I was in office. But the PML-N has politicised this project,” said Bisharat Raja.

Mr Basharat maintained that the colleges were quite necessary as the area of Dhoke Syedan had been deprived of proper educational facilities for quite some time.

During a visit to the construction site, Dawn was not able verify both parties’ claims regarding the inauguration of the site, as the foundation stone and plaque has been removed from the site.

While the building of the girls’ college is nearly 70 complete, progress on the boys’ college is little more than halfway since 2008.

“We don’t care which Muslim League does it, we just want to see both colleges completed,” said Dhoke Syedan resident Gulam Ali Jaffri.

Another local, Asad Abbas said: “These buildings are now starting to decay without a single class having been held in these two campuses”.

“If the PML-Q had been were sincere with the people of the area, they would have completed these two colleges long ago, when they ruled the province for eight years,” he said.

The postgraduate college on Police Station Road in Saddar is also suffering a similar fate.

“We have no idea when the project will be completed. We have registered several protests in the hopes of expediting work on the college, but to no avail,” says area resident Mohamamd Fiaz. He said that former PM Yousuf Raza Gillani had released some funds for the project, but the contractor halted work when those funds ran out.

Rawalpindi Division Director Colleges Professor Humayun Iqbal told Dawn no funds were specifically allocated for the two projects in this year’s budget, but added that a special budget could be released anytime.

Published in Dawn, Aug 11th, 2014