Dubious credentials: Lower Dir MPA’s degree found to be fake

MINGORA:

The PHC’s Mingora bench on Friday declared the bachelor’s degree of MPA Malik Behram Khan fake. Khan was elected to the provincial legislature from the PK-93 constituency in Upper Dir in the May 2013 general elections. He contested on a ticket of the Jamaat-e-Islami, bagging 13,850 votes while his opponent, PPP’s Sahibzada Sanaullah, secured 9,799 votes.

Soon after the elections, Sanaullah filed a petition with the election tribunal, claiming Khan’s degree was dubious. “After my challenge in the election tribunal, University of Malakand issued a statement [stating] Malik Behram’s degree was fake,” Sanaullah said. “Following this, Malik Behram filed a petition in the PHC’s Mingora bench against the election tribunal’s decision.”

The high court had then checked Khan’s record at University of Malakand and declared the degree fake after a verification process.

“Now, we have a hearing on April 24 in the apex court on the same issue. I am hopeful the case will soon be decided against him (Khan) and he will be disqualified,” said Sanaullah.

According to insiders, another person appeared in the BA exam for Malik Behram Khan and university records showed the photograph and signature of the person were different in the examination form.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 11^th, 2015.