The Hindu : National : Islamic University to be set up in south Kashmir

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 20, 2005

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National

Islamic University to be set up in south Kashmir

Shujaat Bukhari

SRINAGAR: Reversing yet another decision of the previous National Conference Government, Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has announced that an Islamic University will be established soon at Awantipura in South Kashmir. An ordinance is in the pipeline to facilitate the work on the university which will be the first of its kind in Kashmir.

Mr Sayeed, who is also Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board, said after inaugurating the Bibi Halima College of Nursing and Medical Technology here on Monday, that 200 kanals of land had been identified at Awantipura on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway where a revered shrine of Syed Hassan Mantaqi Saheb is part of the Waqf Board. "We are acquiring another 200 kanals to provide a sprawling campus for the university," he said, adding, "the idea has been warmly received by the people and many have come forward to donate money and land".

Great enthusiasm

The Chief Minister said one person had donated Rs. 25lakhs and many others had volunteered to sponsor various departments. "I am really delighted to see the response," he said, adding that the State Government would soon issue an ordinance to pave the way for speedy implementation of the decision. He said that "similarly the Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University in Rajouri is all set to begin its journey. Starting with an M.A. course in Arabic it will be followed by Management, IT and subjects like Applied Mathematics so that students can easily benefit in the fast growing market".

The Chief Minister praised the Waqf Board for setting up the first ever Nursing College in Kashmir and said "its objective is to be in tune with the requirements of the technological era".

Mr Sayeed's announcement about the University at Awantipura may add to his bickering with the Opposition National Conference which has been divested with important institutions like the Muslim Auqaf Trust (MAT) and the Sher-e-Kashmir Medical Trust. The two prestigious institutions were found by the late Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah and remained solely with the family till September 8, 2003, when the Mufti Government took over both. MAT was re-christened as Waqf Board and SKMT was transferred to the Government.

The MAT had earlier earmarked 100 kanals of land at Ganderbal for the Islamic University. Ganderbal used to be the bastion of the Abdullah dynasty till 2002 when Omar Abdullah lost the Assembly elections. The then Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, who was also the chairman of MAT, had also constituted a committee of reputed academicians to make a blueprint for the university. Headed by the former Vice-Chancellor of SK University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Allauddin Ahmed, the committee had finalised a project report but had suggested the venue to be nearby location in Asham.

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