Naimat Khan
KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday made a promise with the Catholic Christians to give them land at Education City for establishment of Catholic University.
“Your services for education and health sectors are praiseworthy and hope you would run the university with the best of your abilities”, CM said while holding a meeting with a delegation of Catholic Christians led by Archbishop of Karachi Mr. Joseph Coutts.
The other members of the delegation included Vicar General Archbishop of Karachi Fr. Saleh Diego, Principal of St Patrick’s Cathedral Mario Rodrigues, Principal of St. Jude’s School Afzal Jacob and others. Minister Health Dr Sikandar Mendhro, former special assistant to CM Naveed Anthony, PPP MPA Saeed Ghani, and Principal Secretary to CM Sohail Rajput also attended the meeting.
Murad said that the schools being run by Catholic Educational Board have generated a large number of bureaucrats, technocrats and professionals. “Therefore, you deserve to have a university at The Education City located on the Link Road connecting National Highway with Super Highway.
The delegation told the chief minister that the YMC ground belonged to them but some influential persons making an illegal agreement with the employee of the ground grabbed it. “We have filed a case and presently nazir of the high court looks after it,” they said and urged the chief minister to resolve the issue. The chief minister said that he has himself played cricket on YMC ground when he was student. “I know you had opened the ground for all the people irrespective of religious discrimination,” he said and assured them that the government would support them.
The delegation also raised the issue of graveyard. The cemetery at Shahrah-i-Faisal popularly known as Gora kabrustan has reached to its maximum capacity, now they need another space for graveyard. The chief minister through his principal secretary sent their request to Board of revenue to identify land for the graveyard for them.
They also said that the lease of Merry Well Old Age, Garden West, has expired and that need to be renewed. The concerned officers are creating problems to renew the lease. The chief minister issued directive then and there to renew the lease.
In the meeting, it was pointed out that the government issues registration of schools for three years. Most of the schools run by Catholic Christians have completed 100 years of their excellence but even then after every three years they have to get their registration a new.
“I think this is not fair- but you know this the way through which government regulate education in private sector,” he said and added “oh, the institutions which have completed a considerable period of service should be exempted from renewal of registration,” he said and directed education department to send him proposal and resolve the issue.
Syed Murad Ali Shah told them that there were some encroachment, water and sanitation in Essa Nagri area. “I have already received your letter and would solve all the outstanding problems it on priority basis,” he assured the delegation.
