IHC seeks HEC reply on Al-Khair University degree recognition

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday sought reply from Higher Education (HEC) on a petition seeking recognition of degrees of Al-Khair University AJK.

Justice Mohsin Akhter Kiyani conducted hearing on a plea filed by the students of Al-Khair University. The petitioner stated in their plea that the HEC was not verifying their degrees issued by Al-Khair University.

Justice Kiyani remarked that the status of this university was illegal in light of a court judgment. He asked the petitioner that let the appeal of Al-Khair University be decided first; maybe the verdict would be in favour of university.

He remarked that it was the responsibility of AJK's Parliament to take decision about the legal status of university. Unfortunately, no legislation was being enacted in AJK so far, he said, adding the lawmakers were apparently not thinking about their people.

The counsel for HEC pleaded that Al-Khair University had no required standard of a university. The HEC had hardly given permission to this university for a graduation degree, he added. The bench remarked that why not the AJK government establish its own HEC and register their universities. Justice Kiyani said that why HEC was not registering first informant reports (FIRs) against the illegal universities.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 28^th, 2019.