KARACHI: The Mutta­hida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on Saturday demanded that the provincial government set up an independent inquiry committee to look into the recent controversial results of first year exams conducted by the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK).

Speaking at a press conference, senior MQM-P leader Dr Farooq Sattar said that the committee should consist of reputable teachers, as well as members of the provincial assembly from both treasury and opposition benches.

He accused the Sindh government of deliberately downgrading the results of Karachi students of both Board of Secondary Education Karachi (BSEK) and BIEK.

He also asked the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari “to clean up the mess in Sindh” if he wants to become a national leader.

“Whenever a community is to be ruined, the educational system is destroyed, and this is what the Sindh government is doing with the urban areas,” he said. “It’s our demand that an independent investigative committee be formed, consisting of reputable teachers, as well as members of the provincial assembly from both sides. The papers should undergo forensic auditing, and the students should be shown their answer sheets,” he demanded.

Accompanied by senior leader Syed Aminul Haq, Leader of the Opposition in Sindh Assembly Ali Khurshidi, APMSO Incharge Hafiz Shahryar, and the party members of the National Assembly and Sindh Assembly, Dr Sattar said that urban Sindh’s students are being kept away from education with the connivance of incompetent officials of the educational boards.

“A clear difference is emerging in the results of Karachi and Larkana boards,” he said. “We believe that the chief minister should morally resign for lowering the educational standards of Karachi’s students. The education system across Pakistan has surpassed Sindh, and it is not far when Balochistan will also move ahead of Sindh. The results of NED University and medical tests reflect that Karachi’s students are not incompetent. But in the intermediate examinations, 67 percent of Karachi students were declared fail,” he said.

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2025