PESHAWAR – The administration of Peshawar University has requested the government to stop political intervention at Azakhel Botanical Garden by a specific lobby who want to disturb the academic and recreation environment at the garden.
Through a press release on Wednesday, the administration informed the reporters that the university has started exclusive BS degree program in which hundreds of students were enrolled and more than ten PhD students were doing their research at the garden. The park has a flying club which was inaugurated by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Owaise Ahmed Ghani in 2010. University of Peshawar (UoP), through its funding body Higher Education Commission, has spent millions of rupees for the establishment of an academic block for the BS Botany and the park itself.
However some political forces are against the uplift of this garden and want to construct several offices in its premises without taking permission either from the government or district administration. It was reported by the garden staff that on Januray 7, District President of a political party Mahboob Ali came along with Zahid Akbar and Niamat Gul and started constructing a boundary wall with the help of masons within the premises of Aza Khal Botanical Garden without any permission from Botanical Garden staff, UoP or any relevant government body. When the garden staff said them to stop it, Niamat Gul told him that it was on the direction of Nowshera DCO.
When litigation officer of University of Peshawar contacted DCO Zakaullah Khattak, he told that he was unaware of what was going on and he had not instructed any one for carrying out construction at Azakhel Botanical Garden. He also ordered suspension of Azakhel Union Council Secretary Niamat Gul for facilitating illegal construction in Botanical Garden and for covering up his misdeeds by naming Nowshera DCO for having instructed him to undertake the illegal construction work. The DCO appointed ACO Nowshera as an inquiry officer into the matter.
