Andhra govt names Urdu university after Pak scholar, says it was a clerical error

In a major blunder, the Andhra Pradesh government on Wednesday adopted a Bill on a proposed Urdu university in the state, and named it after a Pakistani scholar instead of a philanthropist from Kurnool.

Human resources development minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao introduced the bill titled 'Moulvi Abdul Haq Urdu University Bill, 2016' when it was actually supposed to be 'Dr Abdul Haq' 

According to a report in the Times of India:

Maulvi Abdul Haq was a Pakistani scholar who played a key role in the development of the syllabus of Osmania University in Hyderabad about a century ago before migrating to Pakistan soon after partition. On the other hand, Dr Haq had founded Osmania College in Kurnool. He also established at least half a dozen educational institutions of repute in AP, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, and is known as 'Sir Syed of South'.

"Dr Abdul Haq and Maulvi Abdul Haq are two different personalities. The government promised to name the Urdu university after Dr Haq.The error should be rectified through an amendment," Dr Javed Rasheed, grandson of Dr Abdul Haq told TOI.

Syed Naseer Ahmad, a social activist and historian told the newspaper that:

“Senior officials dealing with the draft Bill should have crosschecked facts before sending it to the state assembly. This is nothing but sheer negligence. I do not know how the error crept in. In fact, a group of people in Kurnool had brought out a booklet on Dr Abdul Haq soon after the CM laid the foundation stone.“

The state government has since cited clerical error for the mistake and said that it will look into the issue.