Despite passage of more than a year, Sindh government failed to upgrade Pakistan Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management (PITHM), devolved institute from Federal Government, it is learnt on Friday. PITHM was running under the Federal Tourism Ministry which devolved to Sindh government following the devolution of Tourism Ministry to the provinces according to 18th Constitutional Amendment.
Sources said that the authorities of this state-run institute applied for the affiliation with the Karachi varsity during the mid of February 2012 with the intention to upgrade the PITHM on degree level.
But, despite passage of more than seven months, the University of Karachi is yet to consider the application of PITHM for affiliation, they said. Currently, PITHM is providing more than 15 short-term courses and diplomas to the students from all over the country in various subjects of hotel management and tourism. The application was submitted after the authorities concerned reversed the earlier decision of upgrading PITHM as university, they said.
Sources said that institute was to be upgraded during the tenure of Ayaz Soomro as minister for tourism. A committee also drafted a bill, which was approved by the provincial law department and it was to be tabled in Sindh Assembly for final approval but that could not happen due to change of the tourism minister.
PML-Q's Mohammad Ali Malkani, who replaced PPP's Ayaz Soomro as tourism minister, did not take much interest in upgrading of the government institute due to which this important institution could not be made a full-fledged university, they said. Later, as per the decision of PITHM Board, the authorities submitted an application to University of Karachi for the affiliation but KU is yet to entertain the request despite the passage of more than seven months, sources added.
In this regard, a high-level official told Business Recorder on the condition of keeping his name secret that the institute is considering an affiliation with another university as the Karachi varsity is paying no heed to the application. He further said that Sindh government approved four campuses of PITHM each in Thatta, Benazirabad, Khairpur Mir and Larkana. An amount has also been allocated in the Annual Development Program (ADP) of FY13. "However, these campuses would only be established after PITHM is affiliated with any provincial university," he added.
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