Flawed HSSC-I results: Ex-controller of exams moves court against charges

Computer department also responsible: Bhara.

RAWALPINDI:

Former examination controller at the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE), Rawalpindi Amjad Iqbal Bhara moved the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday seeking  the dismissal of the corruption charges levied against him and three other board officials.

The official was charged by the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) for preparing fake results of Intermediate Part-I exams.

Bhara filed a petition with LHC’s Rawalpindi bench stating that he had been wrongly implicated in the case registered on December 3 on the complaint of Punjab Higher Education Additional Secretary Zarak Mirza. Bhara challenged the findings of the former BISE chairman Dr Muhammad Qasim during the process of rechecking the Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC-I) 2011 annual papers.

On November 13, Qasim informed the higher education department that during rechecking, it was learnt that results were forged and prepared on a pattern of 13, 17 and 20 to certain serials of roll numbers. Following the revelation, BISE cancelled the results announcing only partial results on December 24.

Bhara maintained that he only had a supervisory role in the process and that “in any errors that were committed, the computer department’s staff must be held responsible”. He added that when he was appointed as controller in August the HSSC-I examination had already been conducted and the process of evaluation had also been finalised.

Initially, the result was announced on October 17, but due to software problems in the online system, the results were cancelled and rechecking was ordered for all eight Punjab examination boards. He claimed that following the revelation of irregularities, the authorities allegedly suspended and registered an FIR against him, without ascertaining his role in the findings.

The LHC will hear his petition next week.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 30^th, 2011.