Shady qualifications? Murad Saeed goes to high court to obtain his degree

Files petition stating he passed all eight semesters but UoP not issuing the document

PESHAWAR:

After being in the media spotlight for over a week over his academic credentials, PTI MNA Murad Saeed has approached the Peshawar High Court seeking the issuance of his bachelor’s degree from the University of Peshawar (UoP).

Saeed filed a petition in the high court through his counsel Muzammil Khan on Wednesday stating he had never resorted to any fraud or misrepresentation while submitting his nomination papers for the 2013 general elections. The MNA has been in the news since last week when the Pakhtun Students Federation (PkSF) made claims that the UoP administration had violated university rules by allowing Saeed to sit for two stalled papers on March 2 even though he wasn’t enrolled.

According to PkSF, Saeed sat two papers in an hour and cleared them both the same day. The MNA was enrolled at UoP from 2005 to 2009 in the Department of Environmental Sciences and reportedly failed to clear a few courses.

In his petition, Saeed has made UoP vice chancellor, registrar and controller of examinations respondents. The MNA claims he passed his exams in all eight semesters and the department chairperson issued him a course completion certificate on November 26, 2009. According to Saeed, he has been waiting for his degree to be issued since then and had approached the relevant authority several times but had been told to wait as the document would be forwarded to his home address.

The petition further states Saeed was in contact with the controller examinations but he refused to issue the degree because of interference from some student activists, adding the activists “created doubts in the public’s minds through the media”.

The non-issuance of degree and keeping the petitioner waiting is mala fide intention as well as unjustified, it read. “Other students similarly placed have already been issued degrees in due course of time.”

The lawmaker claims some student federations are maligning his reputation and also pressurising the university into not issuing Saeed’s degree.

The petition further adds that when Saeed submitted his election nomination papers, he was holding the qualification he had mentioned in the papers. “I have never used pressure tactics to obtain my degree from the university; instead I applied as a normal graduate. I have every right to the degree as I was a regular student and passed each semester,” the petition states.

It requested the court to direct the UoP to issue Saeed’s degree.

Report submitted

The enquiry committee formed by the varsity to probe Saeed’s alleged exam appearance on March 2 has submitted its report to Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Rasul Jan.

The report has not been made available to the media, but a university official requesting anonymity said CCTV footage, answer sheets filled by the PTI MNA as well as Environmental Sciences Department Chairperson Shahida Zakir’s statement are included in the report.

According to the official, the answer sheets will now be looked at by UoP’s unfair means committee which will decide if the papers should be cancelled, while the issue of violation of rules would be dealt with the relevant authorities.

The insider said the report states the university’s BS programme rules were violated as the department arranged the exams of its own accord. He further said the mark sheet Saeed put up on his social media page was signed by a department clerk, not the chairperson.

“Seven officials of the environmental sciences department were involved in the violation and could be terminated (from service),” said the insider.

Meanwhile, UoP Spokesperson Akhtar Amin, who was a member of the enquiry committee, told The Express Tribune their task was to probe the matter. “We have investigated the issue from all angles and the final report has been submitted.”

He added they asked Saeed to come and tell them his version several times but he failed to show up. Amin said in the MNA’s absence, they considered the documents he shared on social media as evidence from his side.

Murad Saeed could not be reached for comments despite repeated attempts.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 12^th, 2015.