Ministry of science and technology has started the work on building the Pak University of engineering and emerging technology in Prime Minister House.
According to media reports, the federal government has allocated 2 billion rupees for the project in the next fiscal year PSDP. The advertisement has been given in a newspaper to hire services of project director for the feasibility study of the project.
Read more: PM Imran Khan’s promise: Will a university be set up at PM House?
According to sources the cost of this project will be more than 12 billion rupees, the real estimate of the cost will be carried out following completion of the feasibility study process. The monthly salary of the project director will be PKR 500,000.
It is learnt that Rs 200 million would be required for the initial feasibility of the varsity that would comprise of three centres of excellence and eight departments. The university would emphasize on the teaching of modern technology.
Estimated cost of university
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s plan of converting the Prime Minister House into a modern university is likely to cost over Rs35 billion as new buildings will be constructed on over 50 acres of land.
Sources said that the Science and Technology Task Force, which is looking into the proposed university project, estimated an initial cost of over Rs35 billion for the university, however, a feasibility study for the said project is yet to be conducted.
Islamabad master plan
Last year in July, the Federal Cabinet approved a specific change to the master plan of Islamabad to set up a university at the Prime Minister House. Before Prime Minister Imran Khan won the 2018 elections, he had said to convert Prime Minister House into a university.
Read more: Election promise: PM House converted into ‘Islamabad National University’
The university idea did not see the green signal because as per Islamabad master plan an educational institution cannot be set up at the PM House as this sector purely meant for government and administrative buildings only.
Background of PM’s university idea
In December 2018, Prime Minister Imran Khan, while addressing a ceremony marking the transformation of the Prime Minister House into Islamabad National University, shared that his notion of “change” dates back to the time when he used to live in Britain.
Read More: PM House to be converted into Institute of Higher Learning
The Prime Minister has from time and again expressed his desire to convert Pakistan into a welfare state. He once said, the approach towards “change arose in my mind when I moved to Britain and saw their lifestyle, and the residences of political leaders there.” The home of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair was located in a simple building at Downing Street of London and on the contrary, “our leaders reside in lavish palaces,” PM Khan lamented at the occasion.
He further exemplified the leaders of Medina who never spent the nation’s money on their self.
Online Int’l News with additional input by GVS News Desk