PESHAWAR: The University of Peshawar has formed a ‘procedural inquiry committee’ to find staff members, who helped MNA of the ruling PTI Murad Saeed pass a make-up test of the BS (honours) course to secure the degree, and suggest punishment for them.

Murad, who was elected from NA-29 Swat and publicised as the ‘young face’ of the PTI, sat a make-up test of two papers, which he didn’t take as a BS student of the UoP Environmental Sciences department during the 2005-2009 session.

A protest by Pakhtun Student Federation on March 2, the day the make-up test was hurriedly arranged for the student-turned-politician at the Environmental Sciences department, forced the administration to withhold results.

UoP Vice Chancellor Professor Rasul Jan set up a three-member committee to probe if the test was held in line with the procedure laid out under the BS Programme Regulation and that too in a transparent manner.

On March 11, the committee submitted a report to the VC saying the make-up test was held in violation of the relevant procedure, so the two papers were invalid.

Court asks varsity to file response to Murad Saeed’s petition for degree issuance

It recommended action against those responsible for it.

In light of the recommendation, the UoP has set up a procedural committee under the University of Peshawar Employees Efficiency and Discipline Statutes 1977.

Dean of the Social Sciences department Professor Adnan Sarwar will head the committee, which has Professor Imtiaz of the Institute of Chemical Sciences and UoP legal officer Aimal Khan as members.

The committee will submit its report to the VC within 15 days, said a member of the university staff.

“Since the initial inquiry found that procedures were violated in holding the make-up test, those responsible for it will be punished,” said the staff member.

Murad, who didn’t appear before the inquiry committee, has already moved the Peshawar High Court to seek its orders for the UoP to issue his degree.

Another member of the UoP staff said the university respected the court orders but the procedural inquiry would go on until there was any restraining order from the court.

Also in the day, the Peshawar High Court asked the UoP vice chancellor and other respondents to respond in writing to MNA Murad’s petition seeking orders for issuance of degree.

A bench comprising Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth and Justice Mussarat Hilali directed the UoP vice chancellor, controller of examination and chairman of the Environmental Sciences department, to file comments about the petition within seven days.

The court issued orders on the completion of preliminary arguments by the petitioner’s lawyer, Muzamil Khan, who said his client was a regular student of four-year Bachelor of Environmental Sciences programme in the 2005-09 session and that he completed all eight semesters, so he was entitled to the degree.

The lawyer said then chairman of the Environmental Sciences department Dr Shafiqur Rehman had also issued course completion certificate to the petitioner on Nov 26, 2009, wherein he had clearly said his client had completed his course work up to eight semester.

He said his client waited for the issuance of his degree by the UoP and that he contacted the competent authority on various occasions for the degree but every time, he was kept waiting.

“Reply of the respondents was that degree would be sent to Murad at his residential address,” he said.

In the petition, the PTI MNA claimed that he remained in contact with his department and more importantly with the controller of examinations but was later denied degree due to interference by some student activists, who created doubts in the minds of public at large through the print and electronic media, whereas the respondents were reluctant to issue him the degree.

He said the reluctance of respondents to issue him the degree was discriminatory and arbitrary as classmates had already secured degrees.

Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2015

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