The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on 6th December has extended the stay orders against the petition filed by the faculty of Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) Islamabad, against the Bhara Kahu Bypass passing through the Quiad-i-Azam University, Islamabad. Last week a hearing of the Bhara Kahu bypass, Islamabad was resumed and was presided over by justice “Minagul Hassan Aurangzeb” of the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
During the hearing, the lawyer of the Capital Development Authority (CDA), “Hafiz Arafat” attested that the 6-lane road passing through the Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) Islamabad is not illegal because the institution has not signed any leasing arrangement with the CDA in the last 40 years because under the protocols of the lease agreement the CDA, by law possess the right to initiate any project for the welfare of the public. The attorney of Capital Development Authority Islamabad further added that CDA was under no obligation as the institute did not sign a lease agreement.
The Alumni Association of QAU Islamabad also known as “Quaideen” demanded that the Bhara Kahu bypass should be relocated/re-routed because it just does not divides the university into two segments but also occupies the land that is allocated for the proposed Pakistan-China Research Centre and the QAU Islamabad had already allocated Rs7bn for the research center project.
The Quaideen of QAU Islamabad also put forward a few suggestions regarding the route of the Bhara Kahu bypass to media outlets. The
Secretary-General of Quaideen “Murtaza Noor” suggested that the Bhara Kahu bypass project should begin at Green Bus Terminal instead of Malpur. He further added that a small tract of QAU land leading to Bokhari Road which is north of Murree Road can connect it to the existing 600-foot-wide bypass location, from which it can enter Bhara Kahu at Kiani Road after crossing Shahdara Nullah because the community of QAU favors route from Green Terminal to Bokhari-Kiani Roads.
The Quaideen has forwarded the request to Prime Minister “Shahbaz Shareef” to reconsider the route of Bhara Kahu bypass passing through the Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad. Justice
Minagul Hassan Aurangzeb adjourned the hearing till 9th December 2022.
Now a big question arises will the land mafia reroute the bypass or will the Quaideens will have to surrender?