Karachi:
A tense standoff that was unfolded at the University of Karachi (KU) on Friday when officials of Karachi Development Authority (KDA), accompanied by police personnel, allegedly tried to occupy a piece of land within the university’s premises. The move described by the University administration as an “illegal land grip” was averted after university officials, faculty members and students confronted the team and demanded legal documentation that KDA reportedly failed to produce.
According to university sources, the KDA team arrived at Gate # 1 at KU -Campus, accompanied by police cars and a group of officials carrying building materials. They started placing wooden rails, marking boundaries and putting signage on a vacant land location located next to the main entrance to the Campus Jubilee port.
After receiving reports of the activity, KU rushed registrar Dr. Imran Ahmed Siddiqui and Campus Security Officer Muhammad Salman to the site. Ku -Officers questioned the KDA team about the legality of their actions and asked them to show official documents, court orders or written directives authoring them to take possession of the land. However, KDA officers were unable to provide any documentation.
Instead, tensions escalated as members of KU Watch and Ward staff tried to resist intervention. University staff claimed that KDA officials were using violent languages, handling guards and issued threats of arrest. The confrontation attracted attention from students who gathered on stage and sang slogans against what they called an attempt to “USURP public education.” The KDA team eventually withdrew.
The university’s response
KU administration condemned the incident, which described it as an obvious violation of the institution’s autonomy and property rights. Registrator Dr. Siddiqui said: “The University of Karachi is a federal chartered academic institution, and its land is dedicated solely for educational purposes. No external body has the authority to seize or intervene in university land without legal basis. The attempt at the acquisition of the KDA clerks is unacceptable, illegal and will be received at each level.”
Karachi University Teachers’ Society (Kuts) expressed outrage and issued a statement that accused KDA of “institutional bullying.” Society said that such interventions not only threatened the university’s integrity, but also challenged higher education in Sindh.
Kuts -President Prof. Dr. Shahid Rasool said: “The Ku -Landen is not for commercial exploitation. It is a national asset for research, teaching and knowledge production. If KDA or any other department tries to expel the University of its rightful property, the academic society will launch a strong movement and will not nose to protest against the streets.”
Earth disputes
Land around the University of Karachi has long been the subject of strife. The university was established in 1951 and occupies one of the largest campuses in Pakistan, spanning 1,200 hectares of Yellowhan-Iqbal. Over the course of decades, several trials of different state and private actors have been reported to occupy parts of the university’s property.
Previously, parts of land on the periphery of KU were interventioned by housing communities and commercial projects, which received repeated protests from the administration. University officials claim that these trials are driven by the high property value of the country in view of its central location and huge size.
The latest incident is in the midst of growing concerns about urban areas in Karachi, where state agencies, housing authorities and private developers often clash about property ownership.
Student engagement
Friday’s confrontation also saw the participation of students who rushed to the place after learning from the alleged intervention. Videos circulated on social media showed that students raised slogans to support the University administration and demanded that the Earth remain reserved for academic purposes.
