Musarat Ahmedzeb, a princess of the former royal family of Swat, has claimed that she made efforts to establish a university in Swat, “which became possible with the efforts of the then Corps Commander Peshawar Lt General Asif Yasin Malik and others.” Musarat Ahmedzeb is an elected member of the National Assembly from Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek–e-Insaf party.
She said this in an interview with an English newspaper on November 18, 2013.
When the Taliban took over Swat between 2008 and 2009, education - especially girl’s education - suffered badly as they blew up more the 400 schools in the valley, most of them girls’ schools.
In the interview, Ahmedzeb indicated that “Swat was ruined in the past. The government needs to concentrate on its development as well as upgrading the facilities in the sectors of education, health, tourism and energy.”
“I confirm that the Swat University became possible through my efforts”, Musarat Ahmedzeb told Truth Tracker by phone.
“The ANP [Awami National Party that was in power in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province when militancy started in Swat in 2008] government was not interested in establishing a separate university in Swat,” said Ahmedzeb.
“I was informed that they [the ANP government] intended to set up a satellite campus of Abdul Wali Khan University in Swat as they did in Buner and other districts,” she added.
“I met the former Corps Commander Peshawar, Lt General Asif Yasin Malik, and apprised him of the aspirations of locals and the ANP plan, of which he was not aware,” Ahmedzeb said. “After the military operation in the valley, the army exercised all powers and on my request, they extended support for the establishment of the university.”
“My social work is not about cutting inaugural ribbons and neither did I expect that ANP and PPP [Benazir Bhutto’s Pakistan Peoples Party was the ruling party at the time] workers would invite me to such gatherings,” Ahmedzeb said, responding to the question why she didn’t participate in the inauguration ceremony of Swat University if she had good relations with the army and made efforts to establish the institution.
“Her claim is baseless,” Wajid Ali, ANP leader and former member of provincial assembly from Swat, told Truth Tracker by phone. “It [the university] was my brainchild.”
Ali explained that during peace talks with Fazallullah, leader of Taliban in Swat, the ANP government agreed to imposing Sharia Law in the area. The ANP, he said, also agreed to establish an Islamic university in Swat.
According to him, the idea was to replace Imamdheri Markaz [the headquarter of Swat Taliban] into a Sharia faculty where youth could learn about Sharia law. However, he said, the agreement didn’t materialize.
“Later, the ANP government passed an act through the provincial assembly to establish a University of Swat in the valley,” Ali told Truth Tracker. He said the former Prime Minster Yousaf Raza Gilliani handed over official documents for the university to the then-Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Amir Haider Hoti, at Wadudia Hall in Mingora city in Swat. The ANP government in the province, said Ali, also purchased land for the university at Gulibagh in Swat.
“The former prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gillani, announced the establishment of the university, the ANP’s provincial government legislated for it, and after a recommendation from the provincial governor, it was approved by former President Asif Ali Zardari” Mahboob Ur Rahman, registrar of Swat University, told Truth Tracker by phone. He said he had documents to provide evidence of this.
However, Rahman believes many people struggled for the institution: “Some of them wrote columns, some carried out strikes and maybe others lobbied the authorities and we cannot minimize their efforts.”
Saifullah Khan, an academic, recalled that in 1974 Zufliqar Ali Bhutto publicly announced a university for Swat while visiting Grassy Ground, Mingora. However, he said, political wheeling and dealing caused the university to be shifted to DI Khan - it became the present Gomal University.
Khan said that former President Pervez Musharraf also tried to establish a university in Swat and allocated 100 million rupees for the project, but it didn’t happen. He, however, established the Malakand University at Chakdara.
Rahman, the registrar at Swat University, confirmed that Musarat Ahmedzeb had good working relations with the army and “whenever we needed the army’s support, we conveyed our message through her”.
He acknowledged Musarat Ahmedzeb’s in making the Swat University sustainable. He referred to a memorandum of understanding between the university and the Ahmedzeb family that dedicated a house for university departments. The family also donated property for the university guest house, he said
“My sons fulfill all the commitment that I made for the university” Ahmedzeb proclaimed, “My devotion for the university and education in the area will be unchanged, it doesn’t matter what others think about it.”
Truth Tracker has found that legislation for and the establishment of Swat University happened during the former coalition government of ANP and PPP. Social activists, members of the royal family and others also made efforts for the establishment of the institution. However, there is no documented evidence to prove Musarat Ahmedzeb’s claim of efforts in the early phase of the university’s establishment. On the basis of this, the statement stands mostly false.
Most of my experiences were based on emergency and conflict reporting. Just after completing my masters in journalism and Mass communication, I worked as a humanitarian program producer with INTERNEWS Network in earthquake zone for more than a year in 2005. Being a producer of the program, I highlighted voices of the people and connected them with relief organizations. During Swat crises I worked with PACT RADIO as station manager. Establishment of FM radio in militants control area was one of my professional achievement, and with the help of my team, we successfully grabbed audience from MULLAH RADIO (Illegal radio runs by militants). The strategy was useful to encounter their propaganda and give balanced opinion to the local community. Being team leader and in charge of editorial policy in PACT RADIO, my focus was human interest stories and common people problems, especially the problems of IDPs and those who stuck in their homes due to military operation as more than three hundred thousand people stuck in their homes without medical and food facilities. I worked with IMEDIA as radio team leader for tribal area of Pakistan, and currently working as an Executive producer for INTERMEDIA; am leading a radio production team of Khyber Agency of FATA, Pakistan. I also established a local organization "Media Dimensions Swat" our slogan is "education through media". Specialties: I have the creativity to disseminate human interest stories in the light of latest journalistic approaches with international standards. I believe public voices are more attractive and interesting for audience and readers as compared to other piece of journalism. Such creative precedents of my work can be observed at BBC outlook world services. I am proud Alumni of DW- ACKADEMIE , International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), Alfred Friendly Press Fellowship (AFPF) and Daniel Pearl/Saleem Shahzad Fellowship program.
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