KU grants one acre of campus land to SHEC
IV Report
KARACHI: In an uncommon move, the University of Karachi (KU)
syndicate on April 17 formally approved the allocation of one acre of the
university's protected land to the Sindh Higher Education Commission (SHEC),
responding to the commission’s request for space within the campus.
According to a KU press release, the
syndicate meeting, chaired by Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi,
reviewed and endorsed the recommendations of a designated subcommittee, which
had examined the matter. The subcommittee recommended the allocation of one
acre—half of SHEC’s original request for two acres—concluding that the reduced
space would sufficiently meet SHEC's construction needs.
This decision follows an earlier
meeting held on August 31, when the syndicate had agreed in principle to the
land transfer and formed the subcommittee to evaluate the proposal and outline
the transfer’s terms. The move has since sparked concerns among faculty,
alumni, students, and other stakeholders, who view the allocation of university
land to an external body as a significant and potentially controversial step.
At the time of the initial approval,
the syndicate had set forth several conditions: the SHEC building must remain
non-commercial, the land would continue to be KU property, and the university
administration would assume management of the facility once SHEC vacates.
In addition to the land allocation,
the syndicate addressed other agenda items. It approved the Terms of Reference
for refer-back cases, instructing the relevant committee to give priority to
matters involving faculty members nearing retirement. The syndicate also
endorsed the dismissal of a faculty member from the Department of Food Science
and Technology, following the outcome of an internal inquiry. Furthermore, it
approved appointments for new chairpersons and directors across various
departments and centers of KU.
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