ow that the matter of encroachments on 200 acres of land worth Rs16 billion belonging to the Qauid-i-Azam University (QAU) is being discussed in the media and education sector once again, will the state assist the university to get back possession of its land from the qabza mafia, or will the matter be brushed under the carpet once again? The matter came up again after the QAU issued a handout in which it claimed that former Chairman Senate Syed Nayyar Hussein Bokhari has also encroached on QAU land on the Bhara Kahu side.

The former chairman senate has said he had nothing to do with the QAU and its land and that this was a matter between the university and the Capital Development Authority (CDA).

He claimed that this was part of a campaign against him by his opponents.

`I have verified documents, which were also endorsed by some QAU officials, to prove that the land in our possession in Khasra number 1447 and 1449 of Kot Hatyal belongs to us,` he added.

He said that the CDA had acquired land in Malpur, Jang Bandyal and Noorpur Shah to establish the university on and on which hundreds of illegal houses have now been constructed.

According to an estate agent, one acre of land in Bhara Kahu and near the university has a market value of Rs80 million and by this estimate, the 200 acres of QAU land that have been encroached on are worth Rs16 billion.

The CDA had allotted 1,709 acres to the university in the 70s, of which 1,507 is in its possession. The varsity has made several attempts in the past to vacate its land, and this time, the university management seems to be seriously pursuing its case. During the current week, the university management brought the matter into the notice of the CDA chairman as well as cabinet members.

In a letter addressed to all cabinet members, the QAU vice chancellor says that the university is being squeezed in from all sides by ingratiate occupants operating in the culture of the qabza mafia and that there are small illegal settlements within the QAU estate, which are growing. He said that his appeals to the CDA and the Islamabad Capital Territory administration to remove the encroachments had been unheard.

In the letter, the VC also alleges that the former chairman Senate has also encroached on university land on the Bhara Kahu side.