The University of Gujrat (UoG) has its historical roots in a college established in 1949 at the Kaidar Nath Haveli.[7] The college, inaugurated by Fatima Jinnah, was initially a women's college with Begum Surraya Saleem as its first principal.[7] The haveli, erected in 1905 by Lala Kaidar Nath, a notable Hindu magistrate of Gujrat, encompassed an area of four kanals and 19 marlas and featured 25 rooms.[7] Noteworthy for its architectural significance, the building was one of the notable structures in the region.[7] Lala Kaidar Nath, who died in the 1935 Quetta earthquake, was known for his charitable activities. His family migrated to India in 1947.[7]
The college came under the administration of the education department in 1952.[7]
In 2004, the University of Gujrat was officially established on the land donated by Hafiz Muhammad Hayat.[8]
In 2005, a restoration project, led by the district government and archaeology department, aimed to preserve the building's original structure.[7] The college underwent a name change by the then education minister, Mian Imran Masood, becoming the Government Fatima Jinnah College for Women.[7] Subsequently, the college building was incorporated into the University of Gujrat.[7]
In 2006, the Punjab government declared the Kaidar Nath Haveli as UoG's first campus.[7] With the university's move to a new campus at Hafiz Hayat village in July 2007, the haveli was designated as the university's old campus.[7]
University of Gujrat is a recognized university by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan and Pakistan Engineering Council. Among the 58 recognized Punjab higher-education institutions, it ranks at number 9 among the 'Top Universities in Punjab' in 2021. It ranks at number 24 among all over Pakistan.[1][9][3]
