Student’s career, varsity reputation on the line as MUET scandal unfolds

Aijaz Arain claims he applied for duplicate degree after losing original in car theft.

HYDERABAD: A student's career, a varsity's reputation and another student's peace of mind are all on the line as the degree scandal at Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET) unfurls.

According to university officials, they issued a degree to 1996-batch failed student of MUET's mechanical engineering department, Aijaz Iqbal Arain, by mistake. Hence, they cancelled it this year.



However, both Arain and his batchmate Kiran Kumar Luhana, who have been nominated in an FIR on June 4 lodged by MUET examinations controller Suhail Ahmed Katian for fabricating the degree, contradict the university's version. Arain claimed that his degree is genuine. "I even had it verified through the examination controller's office on March 16," he told The Express Tribune. "If they had mistakenly issued the degree [on February 24] then why did they verify it later?" he asked.



Luhana pointed out that he is neither in contact with Arain since he left the university in 2001 nor did he require his academic certificates because he is not an engineer by profession rather a businessman. "I have been unnecessarily dragged into this controversy, which has defamed my name and put me and my family in mental stress," he told The Express Tribune, adding that he is consulting his lawyer to sue both the varsity and Arain.

In contrast to both these versions, some officials who spoke to The Express Tribune, on the condition of anonymity, pointed out lapses in the department of the examinations controller to allege that such practice is rather common. Another former failed student is reportedly offering millions of rupees to get a degree. The controller confirmed that he was approached by that student but he claimed that he refused the offer.

Varsity's stance

According to the university, Luhana assisted Arain obtain the 'forged' degree. "Arain scanned his name and roll number on Luhana's pass certificate ... and submitted it to the university for issuance of the degree," read the FIR lodged by the examinations controller at Jamshoro police station under sections 420, 468 and 471 of Pakistan Penal Code, which contain a maximum punishment of seven years in prison. A former student applying for the duplicate or original degree has to submit a copy of the pass certificate along with the fee receipt. A student who lacks a pass certificate is supposed to obtain his marks sheets of all the terms to be able to get the pass certificate.



According to MUET officials, Luhana applied for the pass certificate which was issued to him on February 8 this year. The same certificate was later used by Arain. Though Arain changed his name and roll number on the photo copy but the book number, certificate number, date of issuance, division and percentage carried Luhana's name.

Student's negation

Arain, who maintained that he lost his academic record in a car theft in Karachi in 2007, claimed that he submitted fee receipt for the degree along with the original pass certificate on January 25, two weeks before Luhana was issued his pass certificate.

"How is it possible that I copied my name and roll number of Kiran's February 8 certificate on January 25?" he asked. "If Kiran had really helped me [in obtaining a degree from MUET] he could have given me his old record [certificates and degree] so that I could copy my name over it," he argued. Arain said he was unable to show his original or photocopied mark sheets and pass certificate, which he acquired prior to the degree, claiming that he submitted all the original documents to the varsity.

Arain struggled to understand why he was named in the FIR. "Perhaps it was because I used political pressure," he said, explaining that he approached MNA Nawab Yousuf Talpur to call the controller and speed up his degree issuance process. After the FIR, Arain's Descon Engineering Limited terminated him from his job on June 4.

Meanwhile, Luhana showed the photo copies of his certificates and degree, issued from 2001 to 2004, to The Express Tribune, asserting that he had no need to obtain fresh documents. He said that he has obtained bail in the FIR by submitting surety of Rs50,000. Arain has neither been arrested nor has he received bail.

MUET internal inquiry

The university's internal inquiry committee - formed by MUET vice-chancellor Dr Muhammad Aslam Uqaili on May 9 - has yet to submit its report, which was due within two weeks. The committee is headed by Prof Dr Pir Roshanuddin Shah Rashdi.

For his part, Dr Uqaili defended the examinations controller and denied his involvement in any intentional issuance of a fake degree. "I think when he was going to Umrah [in February] ... to avoid causing trouble to the students he signed two to four degrees and gave them to deputy controllers for further processing," he reasoned.

A degree is signed by the VC, the registrar and the controller besides two other officers who prepare and check the degree. The verification is done by a sixth officer in a separate process. "It's fundamentally the first officer [an assistant controller] who checks the record. Physically, the controller cannot see all the degrees," he said. Dr Uqaili admitted that though technically all the officials who sign the degree ought to check the student's record, the practice is not being followed.  He refused, however, to comment on Arain's and Luhana's stance and insisted on letting the inquiry committee conclude the probe.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 11^th, 2016.