PTI lawmaker slams KP government for Mardan land sale

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly member, Tariq Mehmood Aryani, publicly criticised the provincial government’s decision to sell land intended for a university in Mardan.

In a recent assembly session, Aryani condemned the government’s actions, accusing ministers of behaving like “pharaohs” and neglecting the needs of Mardan residents.

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Aryani stated that KP Chief Minister’s announcements of development projects in other districts had not addressed Mardan’s specific concerns. He alleged that despite the strong support from Mardan residents for the PTI government, the city’s issues have been ignored.

He talked about the provincial government’s decision to sell land instead of focusing on local development.

Backing Aryani, fellow PTI member and higher education minister Meena Khan added that 4,800 kanals of land were purchased in 2009. Khan criticised the government for not acquiring land at a fair price or using existing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Auqaf and Religious Affairs department’s land, which could have mitigated current problems.

Earlier, the KP Assembly was informed about the formation of a cabinet committee to resolve the issue concerning the sale of Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan’s land.

The minister for higher education stated that the committee’s outcome will be reported to the provincial assembly, the public, and the government.

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The issue stems from the KP government planning to sell land from three local universities and a medical college in Mardan to settle Rs25 billion in arrears. The land was originally acquired in 2009 for the Bacha Khan Greater Education Complex but was later revalued by the Peshawar High Court at a significantly higher price.

The land in question includes portions from Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, University of Engineering and Technology Mardan, Amir Mohammad Khan campus of Agricultural University Peshawar, and Bacha Khan Medical College Mardan.

The government decided to sell unused land from these institutions to cover the arrears. Critics, including local officials and the Qaumi Watan Party (QWP), argue that selling this land could impede future expansion of the educational institutions. They also criticised the government’s handling of the entire situation.

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