HEC shoots down extension request

KARACHI: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has stiffened its stance on the timeline given to two universities to verify legislators’ academic records. The commission warned officials of Sindh University and Karachi University on Tuesday that it would not accept any delays in the task. The two institutions had reportedly sought a two-month extension in the verification process.

But the HEC chairman, Dr Javed Leghari, turned down their request in a letter he had written to the high-ups of the Sindh and Karachi universities. In his letter, Leghari made it clear that any dilly-dallying on the part of the universities would not be tolerated. “If the universities are unable to complete the process, they should hand over the legislators’ records to the HEC,” warned Leghari.

The newfound assertiveness of the commission is linked to Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s strong support for the verification process which was articulated at a meeting he had with the HEC chiarman.

Already, the HEC has sought more details about some of the degrees verified by the universities. On Monday, members of the commission convened a session on the heels of Dr Leghari’s meeting with the prime minister.

The chairman was informed about the unhelpfulness of a few universities, particularly Sindh and Punjab universities. It was reported that, for this purpose, the HEC had sought assistance from the parliamentary committee on education.

The degrees of key presidential aides, including Asif Ali Zardari’s sister and federal lawmaker Faryal Talpur, are to be verified by Sindh University. Unconfirmed media reports suggested that their degrees were among those that could not be confirmed as genuine by the university. The request for more time followed these reports.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 21^st, 2010.