DAWN Dec 10, 2003
Myth of Botanical Garden of Peshawar University
By Prof S. Zulfiqar Gilani
PESHAWAR: Over the past weeks a somewhat malicious and
over-dramatised campaign has been underway against the
alleged destruction of a Botanical Garden at the
University of Peshawar (UoP). The icing on this
campaign cake was a piece by Cowasjee in Dawn of Nov
30, 2003 (�Wild as they Come�).
To set the record straight, there is no Botanical
Garden in the University of Peshawar, and there never
was one. So, I was quite stunned by the opening lines
of Mr. Cowasjee: �The hundred years old famed
botanical garden of the Peshawar University campus is
about to be destroyed�. It is not clear whether these
are words of Cowasjee or Adil Zareef, who initiated,
and is spearheading this campaign of misinformation. I
am sure that Cowasjee understands that when
un-corroborated information becomes the basis of a
piece by a highly credible and respectable person like
him, it can, and has, caused serious concern and
damage. I leave it to his good sense to decide how
that damage can be undone.
Here are the facts. The proposed building will
necessitate the cutting of 39 trees and plants, of
which the most �precious� is a magnolia, others being
�saroo� (25), �khatta� (9), �keekar� (2), �pishonia�
(1), and mango (1).
Again for the record, during my three years of
stewardship of this University over 80,000 trees and
plants have been planted on campus. And discounting
for losses, one can safely say that at least 50,000 of
those are growing. The flora and greenery have
noticeably improved, this according to individuals who
have known the University over the past years.
Recognising that the University needs a proper
Botanical Garden, it was decided to establish one,
adequate land for it identified, PC-1 is being
prepared, and the University committed to provide the
funds.
However, fortunately the HEC has also given a verbal
assurance to provide the necessary resources.
Regardless of the source of funding, the University of
Peshawar is committed to have a truly beautiful
botanical garden of international standards; where
none existed till date. All this had been decided
before the campaign or the (misdirected) controversy.
Now to the issue of why this fairly routine
developmental matter of the University became such a
public controversy. To the best of my understanding,
the primary driver for this is the need for the Sarhad
Conservation Network (SCN) to become the
standard-bearer of environmental causes: A laudable
aim.
However, in this case they have behaved
un-professionally by raising a false alarm and then
attacking a straw man of their own quixotic and
paranoid making.
It is a great pleasure when citizens and civil society
organisations demonstrate concern and interest in
public institutions, and my complaint has been that
there isn�t enough of that. But in this case the issue
that the SCN took up and the self-righteous manner
they went about it shows that this was motivated by
the vested interest of furthering the cause of SCN;
and never mind the misinformation, the maligning, and
the damage to academic development. (END)
by Adil Zareef
Click here to view SCN's Rejoinder (Dec 13/2003)
Judge for yourself.
Click here
SCN and all those who oppose the planned destruction of PU's Botanical Garden are in good company: Britain's Queen Elizabeth was deeply distressed at the destruction wrought by President Bush's helicopter, which damaged valuable trees and grass in the garden of Buckingham Palace and his entourage of security personnel which stampeded through rare, deeply cared-for shrubs and plants with utter disregard for their worth. Having studied at two beautiful universities, Peshawar and Cambridge, I cannot emphasize enough the necessity of preserving historical gardens, so important for aesthetic as well as traditional reasons. A minor earthquake takes place at Cambridge if the public or even students dare to step on the lovingly tended lawns of the larger colleges! Hats off to SCN and Dr. Adil Zareef's efforts, who are trying their best to stop deforestation and defoliation in the NWFP, especially PU. In view of the Botanical Garden's undisputable worth, not only in historical, aesthetic and ecological terms but also for furthering research, their efforts deserve success. "Development" that is blind to all that the Botanical Garden represents to the students and all others concerned about its preservation is soulless, an attribute unfit for humanity. Those responsible should be thinking of how to preserve and improve the garden instead.
Sincerely,
Palvasha von Hassell, Journalist
Germany
M.A. Peshawar University
M.Phil Cambridge University (International Relations)
-------------------------------------
DEAR SCN,
I ALSO SENT MY COMMENTS TO SCN BEFORE IN FAVOUR OF THE COMPAIGN TO SAVE THE BOTANICAL GARDEN OF THE PESHAWER UNIVERSITY,& I SHALL SEND MORE TO OPPOSE THE VC'S SELFISH INTENTIONS & EXPOSE HIS NEFARIOUS
DESIGNS AGAINST A JUST & LEGAL RQUIREMENT OF THE ISTITUTE.
I AM GRATEFUL FOR PUTTING UP THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PICTURES OF THE SAID BOTANICAL GARDEN ON YOUR WBSITE.
IT IS NOT LESS THAN A GARDEN OF EDEN FOR THE GREENERY STARVED AREAS OUTSIDE THE CAMPUS,e.g, HAYAT ABAD UPTO THE TORKHAM & All the lands IN & ARROUND PESHAWER WHICH HAVE BEEN DENUDED OF THEIR GREENERY,& NATURAL VEGETATION,& SACRIFIED ON THE ALTER OF THE BUILDING MAFIAS.
ITS ALSO A SHAME FOR ALL THE FACULTIES,THE STUDENTS & FOR ALL THOSE WHO LOVE THEIR BEAUTIFUL CAMPUS THAT NASTY QUARREL & DISCOURSE IS TAKING PLACE AMONG THE V.C & THE SCN, WHICH HE HIMSELF ACCLIAMS TO BE
THE CIVAL SOCIETY ORGANISATION. THEN,HOW COME THE SCN HAVE A VESTED INTERST IN SAVING THE FLORA & FONA OF THE SAID GARDEN?
THE PICTURES OF SAID THE BOTANICAL GARDEN SHOULD ALSO BE PRINTED IN ALL THE MAJOR NEWSPAPERS OF THE COUNTRY,ALONG WITH THE V.C'S LETTER,TO CONTRADICT HIS CLAIM "THAT THERE IS & NEVER WAS ABOTANICAL
GARDEN"!
THEN FURTHER THE V.C WRITES THAT"THE PROPOSED BUILDING WILL NECSSITATE THE CUTTING OF 39 TREES" SO? HOW COME HE IS GOING TO DISPOSE OF ALL THOSE PRECIOUS TREES,OR HOW & WHERE SHALL HE REPLANT THEM?
ITS VERY UNFORTUNATE THAT AT THIS JUCTURE NO LAWFULL AUTHORITY IS COMING FORWARD TO TAKE UP THE ISSUE IN ITS FOLD & SETTLE IT IN THE FAVOUR OF THE BOTAICAL GARDEN WHICH IS THE SOLE RIGHT OF THE SAME
DEPARTMENT.
KINDLY SEND THIS LETTER IN ALL THE PAPERS WHICH HAVE UPHELD THE
CAUSE OF THE DOWNTRODEN. THANKS
TALAT.
--------------------------
http://www.statesman.com.pk/Letters/letter3.htm
Over to you, Gilani
I read with interest the explanatory writeup by the vice
chancellor of the Peshawar University. Being away from alma mater for quite some time, I was unaware of the issue. The VC's concern for greening the university is laudable. I wish he had also clearly spelt out the nature of the construction which necessitated felling of trees. The act of
planting new trees, however commendable it maybe, does not by itself justify cutting old shadowy trees.
As a concerned reader, may I be educated as to what necessitated
cutting old trees. If there was a noble cause for that, were there no
alternative places available at all?
Syed Haider Ali Shah,
UK.
-----------------------------------
VC sounds unconvincing
When I read the rejoinder of Syed Zulfiqar Hussain Gilani, the
vice chancellor of the University of Peshawar, in the Statesman dated
Dec 7, concerning the situation with the botanical garden of the
university, I felt the urge to respond in the same manner.
First of all I appreciate the decision of the governor, Syed
Iftikhar Hussain Shah, about the ill-fated botanical garden. It is the
greatness of the bold and honest governor that he has assured the
preservation of the garden, but it is a very shameful statement of the vice
chancellor to say that there has been no botanical garden at the university
campus.
If there had been no botanical garden at the university, one
wonders as to how the learned vice chancellor would have been able to produce MSc, MPhil and PhD degree-holders from the Botany department because the students of the subject cannot get any degree without doing practical work in the garden.
It indicates that the vice chancellor has been unaware of the
academic discipline of the said department of the university.
It is on record that the botanical garden of the university was
established by Dr Qazalbash in 1958 and thousands of students were produced by the Botany department after carrying out research in the adjacent botanical garden.
The version given by the vice chancellor sounds to me like the
medical students getting MBBS degree without working in the hospital.
Then the vice chancellor maintains that during his stewardship
he has planted thousands of trees on campus and felled some trees at
the same time, but he has conveniently ignored the fact that some of the
eliminated trees had been more valuable than the thousands of trees that he
planted because the students carried out their research work on them.
In his vainglory, the VC has observed that what has happened if
he has cut off one tree but planted thousands of them. I have heard that in
Oval there is a cricket ground. A tree was situated on the boundary of the
ground. The cricket authorities wanted to cut it off, but the government
refused to do so and changed the law for the sake of preserving that one tree.
Arbab Muhammad Haleem,
Peshawar
---------------------------------
Statesman Letters to the Editor Dec 14, 2003
PU vice chancellor: Foot in mouth
As we approach the end of the year 2003 and sift through the pearls of
wisdom of the people in high places we feel that one of the finest
statements which will portray the speaker with a foot in his mouth will be
the statement by Mr. Gilani, the vice chancellor of University of Peshawar
(Statesman, Dec 7) that he has planted 80,000 trees on the University of
Peshawar campus. Could anything be more bizarre? The answer is NO.
Why do people like Mr Gilani think that we are still living in the stone age
and can be misled to believe that there are 80,000 new trees on the PU
campus and they are not visible. If a minimum of Rs5 was spent on each of
those 80,000 saplings the grand total comes to Rs400,000. Could the
tax-payers be given any proof that their hard-earned money has been properly
spent, if at all?
The competent authorities may please investigate the matter.
Engr Asad Ali,
Peshawar
---------------------------------
Rubbish
I don't believe any person will be that retarded to believe a man with no botanical credentials who claims there is no garden. Even I'm aware colleges like Jinnah for girls, jahanzeb and edwardes college and others where they teach FSC level botany have botanical gardens of their own!!! and this guy expects everyone to believe that there is or was no botanical garden in a UNIVERSITY (functioning since 1950's) in the first place!!!.. plain Rubbish. Rubbish! The biggest fattest lie of the year! lol
Azam Khan Mohmand
<[email protected]>
Judge for yourself.
Click here