Two lawmakers refuse to own up to degrees
Lawmakers refuse to own certificates attached with nomination papers they had filed with election authorities.
ISLAMABAD:
Interesting facts came to light during Monday’s hearing into alleged fake degree cases of lawmakers when some of them refused to own the educational certificates attached with the nomination papers they had filed with the election authorities.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was supposed to finalise the initial hearing of 59 alleged fake/invalid cases detected so far, but has now decided to continue the proceedings for another few weeks.
Counsel for Seemal Kamran, a Punjab Assembly member, surprised the ECP panel during Monday’s hearing by claiming that the copy of the degree available in the record does not relate to his client and produced another degree issued by Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur, Sindh. The ECP record showed that Seemal had graduated from University of the Punjab but her degree was declared fake by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) after verification. The ECP committee has handed over Seemal’s degree from Shah Latif University to the representative of HEC for verification.
Rustam Khan, counsel for another parliamentarian Saima Aziz, also provided copy of a new degree asserting that the degree declared fake by the HEC did not belong to Aziz. The ECP committee has handed over her new degree to the HEC for verification.
Syed Amir Ali Shah Jamot MNA (NA-221) was told by the committee that his degree was declared fake due to miscommunication on the part of the University of Sindh. The university has clarified that his degree is genuine.
In another case, deputy controller examination Punjab University provided proof against Punjab MPA Raja Shaukat Aziz Bhatti who had filed the degree of someone else with a similar name. The deputy controller provided complete record and photograph of Shaukat Aziz Sheikh, to whom the degree actually belonged. Bhatti denied that the degree was submitted by him.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 26th, 2010.
Interesting facts came to light during Monday’s hearing into alleged fake degree cases of lawmakers when some of them refused to own the educational certificates attached with the nomination papers they had filed with the election authorities.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was supposed to finalise the initial hearing of 59 alleged fake/invalid cases detected so far, but has now decided to continue the proceedings for another few weeks.
Counsel for Seemal Kamran, a Punjab Assembly member, surprised the ECP panel during Monday’s hearing by claiming that the copy of the degree available in the record does not relate to his client and produced another degree issued by Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur, Sindh. The ECP record showed that Seemal had graduated from University of the Punjab but her degree was declared fake by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) after verification. The ECP committee has handed over Seemal’s degree from Shah Latif University to the representative of HEC for verification.
Rustam Khan, counsel for another parliamentarian Saima Aziz, also provided copy of a new degree asserting that the degree declared fake by the HEC did not belong to Aziz. The ECP committee has handed over her new degree to the HEC for verification.
Syed Amir Ali Shah Jamot MNA (NA-221) was told by the committee that his degree was declared fake due to miscommunication on the part of the University of Sindh. The university has clarified that his degree is genuine.
In another case, deputy controller examination Punjab University provided proof against Punjab MPA Raja Shaukat Aziz Bhatti who had filed the degree of someone else with a similar name. The deputy controller provided complete record and photograph of Shaukat Aziz Sheikh, to whom the degree actually belonged. Bhatti denied that the degree was submitted by him.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 26th, 2010.