As a result of the recently-formed Old Saroshians' Association the organization of Old Students of the ancient Government Post Graduate College, Mirpur, Azad Jammu Kashmir government has approved the construction of a grand Rs35 million state-of-the-art multi-storied academic block for the students of this overstuffed historic educational institution in Azad Jammu Kashmir

MIRPUR (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th May, 2018 ) , :As a result of the recently-formed Old Saroshians' Association the organization of Old Students of the ancient Government Post Graduate College, Mirpur, Azad JammuKashmir government has approved the construction of a grand Rs35 million state-of-the-art multi-storied academic block for the students of this overstuffed historic educational institution in Azad Jammu Kashmir.

This was disclosed here at a special ceremony of the Old Saroshians' Union, held at the college hall here on Tuesday.

The special ceremony was hosted to mark the handing over of over Rs50 thousand valued books to the college management gifted by an old student of the college and the President of the Old Saroshians' Association Engr Muhammad Iqbal Rattayal to the college.

Earlier, Rs200,000 valued books were recently gifted to the college by an old student and Gen Secretary of the Old Saroshians' Union Dr C M Hanif.

President of the Old Saroshians' Association Engr Muhammad Iqbal Ratayal, Retired Secretary Electricity and Managing Director of Power Development Organization of AJK government, was the chief guest on this occasion.

The ceremony was attended by large number of the students, old students, academic staff and senior journalists including the renowned visiting UK-based Kashmiri journalist Chaudhry Sajid Yousaf and others.

Besides the chief guest Engr Muhammad Iqbal Ratayal, the college's principal Prof Nazar Hussain Chaudhry, Prof Habib Ul Haq and old Student and Secretary Finance of the Union Muhammad Shakeel, (Sitting Station Director Azad Kashmir Radio Mirpur) also addressed the ceremony and highlighted the salient features of the activities of the Union for uplift of the College.

Elaborating the project, the chief guest President Old Saroshians' Assocation Engr Muhammad Iqbal Ratayal revealed that the AJK government has placed Rs10 million for the new academic block in the new fiscal year budget at the first leg of the uplift of the first historic Mirpur Government College in the Southern region of the Jammu Kashmir state established in 1944 during the toppled dogra regime.

He continued that the Old Saroshians' Association inked an integrated phased uplift plan, which has been moved to the government for ensuring the provision of the latest class room facilities to all of the students of the college, comprising the existing strength of over 3700 students � primarily aimed at to ensure the delivery of quality education for producing the quality future architects of the nation from this historic institution.

Iqbal underlined that the gigantic project of extension of the college was moved to the government in view of the acute shortage of class rooms � which are presently available for only up to 1200 of the students. Rest of the students of the total capacity of 3700, have to gotten through the studies in alternative ordinary means including in the residential quarters of the teaching staff in the college premises, which have so far been gotten vacated from the teachers to convert them into the alternative class rooms, he added.

Speakers including the college's principal Prof Nazar Hussain Ch, Prof Habib Ul Haq and old Studentand Secretary Finance of the Union Muhammad Shakeel, also highlighted the future activities of the Old Saroshians' Union with the coordination of the college management for the promotion of quality education through providing every possible comfortable academic environment to the students harmonious to the need of the modern age with prime focus to maintain the decades old historic high status of the college.

The Mirpur Govt. college has a long distinguished history spreading over 74 years.

Late Maharaja Hari Singh, the last ruler of the Dogra dynasty of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu & Kashmir, had established this first academic institution in Southern part of the state in the name of his son Dr Karan Singh, to mark the jubilation of his birth. Thus the college was named as Sri Karan Singh College at the time of its emergence in 1944.

Since soon after the liberation of this part of Azad Jammu Kashmir in 1947, the college was named as Government College after the government of AJK took over its control.

The college has produced several of distinguished world fame personalities belonging to different sectors of life including t some of top of AJK politicians includingformer prime ministers, ministers, law makers, Pak Army officers including several of retired generals, judges of the superior and subordinate judiciary, heads of various nation-building institutions including top civil servants besides senior and subordinate officials of AJK government, business community elders, seasoned lawyersand journalists mostly belonging to various parts of AJK including the southern region of State.