Verification of degrees: AJK assembly votes down PML-N resolution

Opposition leader says the move exposes ruling party’s anti-merit policies.

MUZAFFARABAD: Treasury members in Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Tuesday rejected a resolution presented by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) seeking verification of the educational degrees of all members of the legislative assembly (MLAs) and government employees.

The resolution was presented by deputy opposition leader of PML-N Tariq Farooq in the budget session of the assembly. More than 30 MLAs of ruling Pakistan Peoples Party raised their hands against the resolution. Besides 12 PML-N members, four members of Muslim Conference and a ruling party member Muhammad Hussain Sargala supported the resolution to check the educational documents of all government employees across AJK.

According to government sources more than 10 MLAs and hundreds of government employees have fake educational degrees. Dozens of fake degree holders are serving in grades 16 to 19, sources added.

A treasury member requesting anonymity said more than 1,000 employees in the education department, who were political appointees inducted in the 1980s, had fake degrees.

Opposition leader Raja Farooq Haider Khan said the rejection of the resolution proved the anti-merit policies of the ruling party in Azad Kashmir, which was unfortunate.

The assembly unanimously passed various resolutions to condemn the killing of tourists in Gilgit, the attacks on Quaid’s residency in Ziarat and Bolan Medical Complex and ceasefire violation on the Line of Control by the Indian army in which a six-year-old schoolgirl was killed.

Muslim Conference MLA Sardar Sayab Khalid tried to call Speaker Sardar Ghulam Sadiq’s attention to debate the Thorar female student gang rape case on a call attention notice which the speaker rejected saying the issue was sub-judice.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 26^th, 2013.