ISLAMABAD: A sub-committee of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has directed the managing director of Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) to register FIRs against the declared holders of fake degrees.

The PAC met here on Monday under the chairmanship of Sardar Aashiq Hussain Gopang. Members of the sub-committee — Shahida Akhtar Ali, Sheikh Rohale Asghar and Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho — attended the meeting.

Secretary of the Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage (MOIB&NH) Mohammad Azam, the director general of Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) and managing directors of PTV and Associated Press of Pakistan Corporation (APPC) also attended the meeting which discussed audit paras of the ministry for year 2007-08.

Also read: Three female teachers booked for fake degrees

The committee’s chairman said that politicians holding fake degrees were being punished while no action was being taken against government employees possessing fake degrees.

He directed the officials concerned to verify thee degrees of all employees, register FIRs against those holding fake degrees and submit its report to the PAC within two months.

He said getting employment on the basis of fake degrees was a criminal act and the practice had been going on for a long time, and it should be stopped. Implementation of the decision would set example for new-comers.

The managing director of PTV told the committee that degree verification process was under way and 82 holders of fake degrees had been dismissed from service when their degrees were not verified by the Higher Education Commission (HEC).

Published in Dawn, September 8th, 2015

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