KARACHI, Jan 11: The Sindh High Court on Thursday referred the ‘disputed questions’ to the University of Karachi asked in the test and contested by the candidates seeking admissions to Dow University of Health Sciences and Liaquat University of Health and Medical Sciences to ascertain whether they were beyond the scope of ‘current curriculum’ prescribed by the respective boards of intermediate and secondary education FSc (pre-medical).

Forty-nine candidates who failed the entry test conducted by the National Testing Service complained through Advocates Dr Farogh Nsim, Ghulam Qadir Jatoi and Minhaj Farooqui that a number of questions were either outside the curriculum or wrongly premised or gave incorrect multiple choices.

According to the admission prospectus, the entry test would consist of questions falling within the FSc (pre-medical) syllabus. The requirement, the petitioner candidates alleged, was violated by the testing service and that they were wrongfully deprived of admissions to MBBS despite 80 to 90 per cent of marks obtained by them in their intermediate examination. The averments were contested by DUHS counsel Afaq Saeed and Additional Advocate-General Abbas Ali.

Dr Nasim suggested that the questions could be referred to the Karachi University vice-chancellor to examine the veracity of the petitioners’ allegation. The VC should forward the questions to the heads of the departments of physics, chemistry and biology for their expert opinion.

Accepting the proposal, a division bench consisting of Justices Mohammad Athar Saeed and Faisal Arab asked both the sides to submit the question paper and the answer key to SHC additional registrar Mohammad Ashraf Memon, who would identify the disputed questions and send them to the KU vice-chancellor. The counsel held a meeting with the additional registrar on Thursday afternoon and agreed on the questions to be referred to the university. The VC would send his report by January 20 and the petitions would again come up for hearing on January 23.