PESHAWAR: The University of Peshawar has requested the Peshawar High Court to dismiss PTI MNA Murad Saeed’s petition seeking the orders for issuance of a degree, saying he is not entitled to the issuance of the degree as he had failed three subjects.

The UoP filed comments with the high court in reply to the MNA’s petition insisting the petitioner had concealed facts, so his petition was not maintainable and therefore, it should be dismissed.

The comments were filed by senior lawyer Waseemuddin Khattak, who said the petitioner had raised factual controversy which could not be decided in this writ petition.

On March 12, the court sought comments from the University of Peshawar’s vice chancellor and other respondents in the petition filed by Murad Saeed seeking court’s order for the university to issue him the degree of BS Environmental Science for the session 2005-09.

The petitioner has contended that he was a regular student of four year Bachelor of Environmental Sciences programme in the 2005-09 session. He said he had completed all eight semesters and was entitled to have the degree.

The petitioner claimed that the then chairman of the department, Dr Shafiqur Rehman, had also issued course completion certificate to the petitioner on Nov 26, 2009, wherein he had clearly stated that the petitioner had completed his course work up to 8th semester.

He claimed that despite completion of course the reluctance of respondents to issue degree to him was discriminatory and arbitrary as other students similarly placed had already been issued degree in the same course of time.

Insists PTI’s Murad Saeed can’t claim degree due to failure in three subjects

The controversy regarding Murad’s degree emerged last month when it was reported in the media that arrangements were made post haste for Mr Murad Saeed to make up for his two papers -- Introduction to Environmental Sciences and Remote Sensing -- under dubious circumstances. The papers were allegedly marked and checked the same day in sheer violation of the procedure.

Following emergence of the controversy the UoP’s vice chancellor constituted a three- member committee for probing the issue.

The said committee had reportedly recommended cancellation of make-up papers as the entire procedure adopted for conducting the papers lacked transparency and in violation of the laid down rules. He had also reportedly failed to turn up before the committee to clear his position.

Interestingly, in his petition Murad Saeed has not raised the issue of his controversial make-up tests. In its comments, the UoP said the petitioner had concealed several facts from the court. It added that the petitioner had failed three papers, one in the first semester and two in the last semester.

The UoP said the petitioner had now been seeking degree on basis of a so-called DMC only carrying signatures of the dealing clerk and not that of the department’s chairperson and the controller of examination. The UoP said the petitioner should clear the three papers to claim the degree.

Published in Dawn, April 11th, 2015

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