The government has retracted its plan to establish Pakistan Media University at the Pakistan China Friendship Centre (PCFC), Islamabad, as reported by Business Recorder.
The Information & Broadcasting Division informed the Cabinet in a recent meeting that was presided by Prime Minister Imran Khan that it had submitted a summary for the approval of Pakistan Media University or National Media University on 9 April 2019.
The approval was granted by the Cabinet on 1 October 2019 and it directed the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to “submit a formal proposal to the Cabinet for setting up of Pakistan Media University at Pakistan China Friendship Centre”.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting prepared a charter of the university, and the Higher Education Commission (HEC) also agreed to process it further.
Later on, the Planning Commission granted Rs. 17 million in the fiscal year 2021-22 to have the feasibility of the Media University conducted.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bournemouth University in the UK and the Communication University of China was also under deliberation in this regard.
Despite these developments, it was brought to attention in a recent meeting of the cabinet that its early approval to set up the Media University was only “in-principle” without the assigning of a building or a location. A formal proposal had to be submitted to the Cabinet for the earmarking of a building or location, which was not done.
Meanwhile, the premier has decided to conduct a separate meeting with the concerned stakeholders to ascertain the best use of the Pakistan China Friendship Centre.
