HEC validates degrees of 224 lawmakers, 46 found fake
ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) on Monday declared that the educational degrees of 224 parliamentarians were genuine, 46 were found to be fake, while 11 cases of the status of lawmakers’ degrees were pending in courts.
Speaking at a press conference, Dr Syed Mahmood Raza, HEC adviser on quality assurance, said the commission had come up with the report in its 23rd biannual meeting, which was called to discuss various issues.
The meeting was told that the report on degrees was prepared in light of the information received from various universities. The meeting was informed that the report on the verification of degrees of parliamentarians had been presented to the HEC chairman.
Raza said the HEC gave a proforma to the universities to carry out the verification of degrees under a prescribed procedure. To a question, he said the HEC was supposed to submit its report on the matter to the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Education, but on the directives of the prime minister, the report would now be submitted to Education Minister Sardar Assef Ahmad Ali.
“The prime minister directed the HEC to submit its report to the education minister, not to any other institute. In line with the HEC’s ordinance, we are to comply with the orders of the PM. So the initial report has been submitted to the education minister,” Raza said,
He clarified that the HEC did not have the power to reveal the names of the parliamentarians whose degrees had been verified as genuine or fake.
To a question, he said a committee was looking into the authenticity of the educational degree of FDE Director General Shaheen Khan.
Raza declined to comment on the Election Commission of Pakistan’s policy regarding proceedings against those involved in forgery, saying, “Our knowledge about the ECP’s policy is limited to media reports, as the HEC has not received any document or request from the ECP to nominate a focal person,” he said.
“In any case, the HEC is an autonomous body that has its own mandate,” the adviser added.Nation
