Pakistan

PML-Q parliamentarian joins fake degree club

Express July 18, 2010

ISLAMABAD: PML-Q MNA for NA 163, Nauman Ahmed Langhriyal was the latest addition to the growing list of parliamentarians holding fake degrees as of Sunday.

The MNA's degree allegedly issued by Punjab University was found to be fake. No official statement has been issued by the PML-Q in this regard.

Viewpoints on the fake degree fiasco

Imtiaz Gul, Head, Centre for Research and Security Studies:

We should not allow the ruling elite to hide under the cover of the “bad” Musharraf law. We must question this fraud and cheating. What is the moral or legal justification for purchasing a degree? Being in the assembly is no justification.

Foqia Sadiq Khan, development studies analyst based in Islamabad:

There is no cross-cutting clear moral or legal stance on fake degree holders. On the contrary, political parties are again issuing tickets to the same members who earlier were disqualified because they got elected after obtaining fake degrees.

Mina Sohail, Anchor, Express 24/7:

With allegations of fraud, if the disqualified have any sense of remorse, they should resign in the blink of an eye. Why wait for public humiliation? Maybe because when you reach a height of shamelessness and obstinacy, you wait for miracles to happen. And they do. Or at least they did in Jamshed Dasti’s case.

Marvi Sirmed, independent blogger and freelance columnist:

Popularly-elected regimes are almost always maligned in the public sphere and usually this is done through the use of allegations which are often not true. The sudden rise in the number of cases of fake degrees is another example. Ironically, most of these (fake) degrees holders were there in the last parliament, and some of them were with the king’s party. Nothing happened to them then.

Syed Ali Raza Abidi, blogger and political writer:

In my opinion a cheater is always a cheater. Someone who has lied in the face of the Constitution, official authorities, the people, and his or her own self just to qualify shows the poor quality of the people we have in the house representing us.

COMMENTS (2)

Tanzeel | 13 years ago | Reply Fake degree holders are indeed curse of the society but at the same time we have held democracy above everything. For the sake crippled democracy we have ditched progressive dictatorship. We are the people who don't hesitate to re-elect cheat representatives. I don't foresee any change in Pakistan in near future unless we introduce change within our behaviors.

Ahmad Nadeem Blogger, investor and social policy advisor | 13 years ago | Reply What the mess this Journalist-Judiciary created out of a non-existent law to parliament. The sole purpose is to crush 18th amendment and portray it as passed by cheaters and fakes! MY degree is not recognised by half of the institutions in my country of work, does it make fake? Similarly many countries recognise a certain degree, say medical bur doesn't not recognise the degree from same University issued in pharmacy! Does it mean these degrees are fake? Infact its political decisions made by states on bases of manpower requirement. In present case Higher Education Commission is declaring ever degree 'FAKE" which is not recognised by it, what a shame! And those who have studied overseas know well how easy it is to obtain a degree from a recognised university by paying fees alone. After 18th amendment things began to stabilise and there was some hope of investor coming to Pakistan but Judiciary-Journalist created another issue for instability to put government under pressure. Fake Adlia restored by our efforts has gone against public choice and loosing its credibility although it doesnt have a good record while giving powers to dictators to ammend constitution and using power of review on parliament.

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