Intermediate results: A slow first day for the judicial commission

IT consultant, blamed for the mess, says that he never received a written contract.

LAHORE: Only one student appeared before the judicial commission on the first day of proceedings that will determine the causes of the delay and fix responsibility for erroneous results.

Justice Shahid Saeed was appointed by the chief justice to conduct the inquiry.

Abdullah Nabeel – a first year student at the Punjab College, Lahore – approached the registrar on Thursday and was told to come on Saturday to record evidence. Manzoor Hussain Dogar, registrar of the commission, told The Express Tribune that despite an appeal through media, no witnesses, apart from Nabeel, had approached the commission for recording evidence. It had been decided now that two headmasters from every district be called in by the commission.

On Thursday, the serving chairman, the former IT consultant and some other officials of the Lahore board appeared before the commission but none came with a written statement. Justice Saeed told them to submit written statements by Saturday.

Most of the officials held Dr Majid Naeem, the former IT consultant, responsible for the debacle, said a source who spoke on condition of anonymity because the proceedings are in-camera. Naeem denied the charge. He also told the commission that he had been given Rs200 million for the project. When asked if he had a contract attesting to the same, he said he did not.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 11^th, 2011.