Ghulam Sarwar Khan. PHOTO: EXPRESS/FILE
Three elected legislators fell prey to fake degree cases on Thursday, when the Supreme Court (SC) suspended the membership of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) parliamentarian Ghulam Sarwar Khan and de-notified the membership of two Punjab provincial assembly members for holding fake degrees.
A three-member bench of SC, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, took the decision during its hearing of petitions pertaining to fake degrees of parliamentarians after the Higher Education Commission (HEC) submitted a report on reported cases.
The apex court suspended membership of Ghulam Sarwar Khan, who had defeated Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan from NA-53 Rawalpindi on May 11, for allegedly holding a fake degree, pending final verification.
However, the court directed de-notification of membership of two Punjab Assembly legislators Mir Badsha Qaiserani and Khawaja Mohammad Islam, after HEC confirmed that both parliamentarians possessed fake degrees.
The academic credentials of Ghulam Sarwar Khan had been challenged in the court by a petitioner, Raja Qamar.
During the proceedings, the bench was informed by the HEC that the Syndicate of Bahawalpur University has delayed issuance of decision over the status of Ghulam Sarwar’s degree.
However, the HEC report revealed that the syndicate had claimed in its initial report that Ghulam Sarwar’s degree was bogus because it had been issued on the basis of a diploma issued by the Lyallpur Technical Institute.
Nevertheless, according to record, the diploma was issued to a Ghulam Sarwar, son of Hamidullah, whereas the parliamentarian’s name is Ghulam Sarwar, son of Hayat Khan.
Salman Akram Raja, the counsel for Ghulam Sarwar, said that there was a problem in the record of the Institute because the original diploma had been received from the Rawalpindi Technical Institute and had been later on merged with Lyallpur Technical Institute.
The petitioner said Ghulam Sarwar had himself admitted that his diploma of Lyallpur Technical Institute was incorrect and a similar petition was currently pending with the Lahore High Court as well. The court directed the authorities concerned to suspend the membership of the PTI MNA till decision of the Lahore High Court, which was asked to expedite hearing of the petition.
Meanwhile, HEC informed the bench that the commission has verified the degrees of PML-N MPA Khawaja Islam and JUI-F MPA from Dera Ghazi Khan Mir Badshah Qaiserani and both degrees were found to be fake. The court then directed the ECP to de-notify the membership of both.
Later, the court also directed the commission to expeditiously hear case of PTI MPA from Haripur Faisal Zaman Khan, a member of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly. The court also referred the case of MPA Zaib Jafar to HEC to again review her credentials.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 19th, 2013.
COMMENTS (24)
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@Bugsy: Then, go and read what your IK wrote in a TV show: we are going to clean sweep in General elections
Here I am. So I still support PTI. Whatsup? @True Karachiwala:
@True Karachiwala: Yes, you are right we cannot give the whole country to be reigned by PTI. Thats why they are moving bit by bit. PTI have to prove their worth by showing good governance in KP. The most important question to ponder is that even if PML-N and PTI fail, do we have to resort to PPP again..?
@Athar: The same thing I wanted to say but u stole my words friend.
@Zeeshan: Lessons need to be learnt in the future. There is no harm in accepting mistakes. @Bugsy: with time PTI will definitely get mature
OK. 1. If other parties make mistakes will you, Mr.Zeeshan, give them same benefit or will there be "a phanti with balla?" 2. Mr.Bugsy, until PTI gets matured, we can not take risk of giving whole country to them. Further, please get a certficate from some international body that PTI has get matured, because trial & error in nation management is lethal.
The degree requirement is a draconian law passed by the dictator Musharraf to disfranchise the majority of the country and block lower people from being elected. It should be done away with at the first opportunity.
Well I am personally glad that Ghulam Sarwar is disqualified, he is the only PTI MNA I don't like. He is a traditional politician and frankly seems like a patwari to me
Is this true? Ayla Malik's certs also fake?
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x11ymom
@asim: Under that law, PML-N would have to step down from the government
PTI Fans - do you have the sense of "Insaf" to realize and admit the 1 party that does not have fake degrees for any of its parliamentarians? The answer is MQM. I know it will burn you to hear this, but hope you have the courage to admit it.
Innocent until proven guilty. The emphasis being that GSK is suspended impending final verification. Btw the two MPAs are from JUI-F and PML-N respectively. Why didn't ET mention their parties. Just give credence to the fact that you are there to bash PTI and no one else.
I am amazed to see the 'freedom of speech'. My comment got filtered just because I wrote something which your people didn't want to hear? And then your people whine about rights and biases. Those who do not have the guts to accept their mistake how can one expect something positive from them.
Kowtowing to one party is explicit - Maybe naming PTI might get you a good viewership but then do expect some trolling as well - Or maybe soon enough someone from your desk will be snivelling about who voted who because I have been seeing your recent trend and without doubt your stance has been against PTI. I am sick of this biased attitude - Learn from Dawn "SC disqualifies two MPAs, suspends MNA". Newspapers are meant to be portray the picture in a true manner.
@True Karachiwala, this was mistake by the party they should have verified the degree then allocate the ticket. Lessons need to be learnt in the future. There is no harm in accepting mistakes. Tribune is biased in the reporting didn't mention any other parties member. Dawn was fair in their reports "SC disqualifies two MPAs and suspends MNA" http://epaper.dawn.com/DetailNews.php?StoryText=19072013004002
I'm highly disgruntled at ET for being so biased and often unrealistic. Always boasting up (unreal) party rifts in PTI, there was mention of actions taken by Shehbaz Sharif against those involved in gas theft but no mention of cut-off of thousands of gas connections in the same regard- in KPK. now again mentioning PTI MNA for holding fake degree but what about the other two who are associated with other parties?
Please ET, don't ruin the spirit of free and fair journalism.
@True Karachiwala: whats a big deal here...with time PTI will definitely get mature...people with their own agendas and amibitions will be attritioned over time..and please PTI is not the only hope in pakistan try to think in the broader perspective.
We are gonna have ourselves a field day when Jamshed Dasti joins PTI which is expected any day now as he is negotiating with PTI a ticket for his brother in Muzaffargarh.
PTI remember MNA from NA 55 (haji pervez i think). NS took resignation from him over fake degree. expecting something solid from IK
@Asyha M: LOL i like your sense of humor :P
Where are PTI trolls ? any body home ? any one from UK, USA, undergraduate,graduate, masters, post masters, doctoral students,DHAiites who see PTI as only hope left in Pakistan. I am dying to hear from you, sir/madam, please, please, please.......
@asim: While what you are saying has merit, expecting smaller and emerging political parties to exercise this control would be unfair since they don't have the resources to conduct investigation of credentials like SHC is doing in this case.
ET u r so biased. Didnt mention the names n parties of the remaining two candidates. Just PTI PTI PTI PTI PTI.. Who is funding u guys or is it just ur biaseness tat keeps u moving. I wonder wat wud u guys b doing it there was no PTI. Wailay baithay rehtay..
Naya Pakistan?! More like wheels coming off day by day, everyday. MQM remains the only hope for the masses.
Party head should also be made accountable for not proper verification of candidates. How can a person run a country if he has no idea of the qualifications of his own candidates.
PTI, - naya Pakistan - a fake degree? There is one party that no legislators with fake degrees