PESHAWAR, April 8: A two-member bench of the Peshawar High Court on Thursday sought comments from the University Grants Commission and the provincial secretary education in a writ petition challenging equivalence of a sanad issued by Madressahs to a graduation degree.

The bench, comprising Justice Malik Hamid Saeed and Justice Shahjehan Khan, directed the respondents to file comments within a fortnight. The petition was filed by Zeenat Iqbal, challenging the appointment of three other women as Arabic teachers in district Swat by the director education concerned.

Advocate Iqbal Hussain appeared on behalf of the petitioner and contended that these teachers possessed certificates of Dars-e-Nizami issued by Madressah Anwarul Uloom. He said that the education department had advertised posts of Arabic teachers for the Swat district a few years ago, adding that the petitioner had done her matriculation and she also possessed certificates of Arabic and Qirat.

However, the counsel contended that the director concerned considered these sanads equivalent to graduation degrees and appointed them for the advertised posts. The petitioner contended that the UGC had never declared the sanad equivalent to graduation degrees.

She contended that the director education concerned had no legal authority to declare Madressah sanad equivalent to graduation degrees as the said certificate was acquired after completing a course lasting only six months and seven days.