Unconfirmed certificates: Fate of 100 ex-MPs hangs in balance
07 April, 2013
ISLAMABAD: The political future of 101 notable politicians is in danger, as the Higher Education Commission (HEC) has expressed reservations on their degrees, media reports say.
According media reports, the HEC has declared degrees of 101 former parliamentarians unconfirmed and mailed its final report to the Election Commission of Pakistan. The Supreme Court of Pakistan had given the HEC time until April 5 to confirm degrees of 183 former members of national and provincial assemblies. The HEC has confirmed 80 politicians' degrees and disapproved those of 101 others. Cases of two degrees have been closed, as their holders, Shahbaz Bhatti and Azim Doltana, have expired.
Many prominent politicians' degrees have been confirmed by the HEC, some of whom are: Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Khursheed Shah, Jawed Hashmi, Afrasiab Khattak, Sardar Jamal Laghari, Amir Muqam, Chaudhry Naseer Bhutta, Mehreen Anwar Raja, Ghulam Fareed Kathia, Ghulam Bibi Bharwana, Samsam Bukhari, Bushra Gohar, Tariq Anis, Tahira Aurangzeb, Samina Khalid Ghurki, Qasim Zia and Sardar Saif Khosa.
Some of the former parliamentarians whose fate hangs in the balance are: Faisal Saleh Hayat, Manzoor Wattoo, Shumaila Rana, Noman Langrial, Sardar Sanaullah Zehri, Maulana Gul Nasib, Razzaq Afridi, Rai Mujtaba Kharal, Mehboobullah Jan, Rukhsana Bangash, Atia Inayatullah and Zafar Baig Baitni. The HEC officials have confirmed that a detailed report on degrees' confirmation has been mailed to the Election Commission of Pakistan.
According to reports, 80 former parliamentarians approached the HEC for verification of their education documents. Most of the former lawmakers failed to contact the HEC to have their educational certificates verified within April 5 deadline. Talking to media here, HEC Chairman Javed Leghari said the apex court had ordered verification of degrees of 183 MPs, however, degrees of 77 members had been verified and five more are under scrutiny. He said 100 ex-parliamentarians had not contacted the HEC.
He said doors of the HEC have been shut for ex-parliamentarians and only the credentials submitted earlier would be verified. The chairman said the HEC's job was to verify the degrees only, and disqualifying anyone was not its job. He said details would be submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan.
Those who have not submitted their degrees to HEC for verification include: Makhdoom Faisal Saleh Hayat, Mian Manzoor Wattoo, Rukhsana Bangash, Atiya Innayatullah, Shehnaz Shaikh, Gulzar Ahmed, Sanaullah Zehri and others. Meanwhile, the nomination papers of the candidate of the PML-N from PP-4 Gujar Khan and former provincial assembly member Shaukat Aziz Bhatti have been rejected after his degree was declared as fake on Saturday.
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