In a significant move to revive a stalled multi-million rupee project, the federal government has handed over the long-delayed cadet college in Khanpur to the Pakistan Navy. The institution, which has seen no students in nearly two decades, has been officially renamed the Pakistan Navy Cadet College with a firm commitment to start operations within the next year.
A History of Renaming and Delays
The project's journey is a textbook case of administrative delays and political rebranding in South Punjab. It was first conceived seventeen years ago in 2008 by the then-Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, who named it the Cholistan Cadet College. Its name was changed just a year later to Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Cadet College.
In 2014, the then-Chief Minister of Punjab, Mian Shahbaz Sharif, rebranded it once more as the Khanpur Cadet College. Despite the construction of a massive 250-acre campus at Chak 7-P near Khanpur, the facility has stood empty as a ghost building, failing to enroll a single student since its inception.
Navy Steps In With Fresh Commitment
The breakthrough came during a detailed site visit on Saturday. Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Defence, Zeb Jaffar, announced the new name and timeline after inspecting the infrastructure with Deputy Commissioner Zaheer Anwar Jappa and senior Pakistan Navy officials.
Addressing the media, Ms. Jaffar called the revival a revolutionary milestone for South Punjab. She revealed that the project had languished for the past five years due to a severe funds shortage. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif's personal intervention was credited for finally releasing the necessary provincial funds.
The most crucial development is the formal adoption of the college by the Pakistan Navy. This move is expected to bring military discipline and high academic standards to the region's educational landscape.
Roadmap to Inauguration and First Batch
With the administrative hurdles now being cleared, a concrete plan is in place. The college is slated to induct its first batch of 300 cadets next year. District authorities, including Assistant Commissioner Khanpur Afzal Sukhera, have been directed to provide full support to the Navy to ensure no further delays.
The college is expected to be inaugurated jointly by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif and the Naval leadership in the coming months. This marks the end of a 17-year wait for a project that aims to provide quality cadet education in South Punjab.
