Fake degree saga: Nine ex-lawmakers get clean chit from ECP

Commission reserves judgment on 12 others; Dasti files appeal against his conviction.

ISLAMABAD/ LAHORE:

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) declared on Friday the college degrees of nine former lawmakers valid and reserved its judgments on the degrees of another 12.

The commission also summoned three politicians on Saturday (today) to question them about their ‘suspect’ degrees.

The politicians cleared by the ECP are Shafiq Ahmed Gujar, Senator Gul Mohammad Lod, Dr Israr Hussain, Syed Amir Ali Shah, Ghulam Sarwar Sial, Col (retd) Shujait Ahmed, Wasim Afzal Gondal, Haji Mohammad Umar Gorgaje and Dewan Syed Ashiq Hussain.

Former MPA declared proclaimed offender

Former PPP MPA Amna Buttar was declared a proclaimed offender by Lahore District and Sessions Judge Nazir Ahmed Gajana on Friday. The judge also issued arrest warrants for Buttar and directed the SHO of Islampura police station and the Lahore police chief to arrest her.

The Supreme Court had disqualified Buttar on June 14, 2012 under Article 63(1) (C) for possessing an American citizenship. It had also directed the ECP to recover all monetary benefits she enjoyed as an MPA.



The court had started proceedings to declare Buttar a proclaimed offender on March 5, but neither Buttar nor her counsel attended any of these hearings. The court later came to know that Buttar was in the US when its staff visited her residence to serve the notice.

Ex-minister jailed

The additional sessions court Quetta sentenced former PPP provincial minister Ali Madad Jattak to two years in jail and imposed a Rs10,000 fine on him for submitting a fake degree. Jattak was arrested from the court premises.

In another case, the Balochistan High Court, Sibi Circuit bench, nullified the punishment awarded to former PPP federal minister Mir Humayun Aziz Kurd in a fake degree case. Kurd had been handed one-year jail term and a Rs5,000 fine.

Separately, the BHC, Sibi Circuit bench, cancelled the interim bail of former speaker of Balochistan Assembly Mir Zahoor Hussain Khosa in a fake degree case and ordered his arrest. Khosa was sentenced to two years in jail and awarded a Rs5,000 fine by the district and sessions Judge Dera Allahyar.

RO rejects former JUI-F leader’s application

A returning officer (RO) rejected the application form of former JUI-F leader Malik Imran who intended to contest elections from PK-75 (Lakki Marwat-II) in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. He submitted his election form with RO Zaeem Khan to contest as an independent candidate. Khan rejected it saying he did not qualify for the polls as he had submitted a fake degree.

Dasti challenges his conviction

Former MNA Jamshed Dasti, meanwhile, filed an appeal in the Lahore High Court, Multan bench, on Friday against his three-year prison sentence. The appeal will be heard on April 8 by a divisional bench. Dasti’s brother will now contest elections from NA-178 (Muzaffargarh) in his stead.

LHC dismisses petition against former MNA

Announcing a reserved judgment, the LHC dismissed a petition seeking the disqualification of former PML-Q MNA Sumaira Malik.

Malik had won the 2008 polls from NA-69 (Khushab). Her rival Malik Umar Aslam Awan filed a petition alleging that she had completed her intermediate in 1981 and did not graduate till 2002.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 6^th, 2013.