WHILE the country already lags behind in research and advanced studies, the PhD Law programme at the University of Karachi has remained suspended since 2020. The programme was halted following reported violations of Higher Education Commission (HEC) guidelines by the university, and orders issued by the Sindh High Court and the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court had empowered the HEC to independently examine the matter and submit its report so that the suspended programme could be restored. However, despite the passage of more than five years, no meaningful progress has been made.

As a result, the affected PhD scholars, particularly those from the 2018 batch, continue to struggle to have their theses accepted by the Board of Advanced Studies and Research (BASR) for further processing. Out of a total of 12 scholars, seven have already been awarded PhD degrees, while the remaining five continue to await restoration of the programme. Those who have received doctorates include senior advocates, civil judges and a parliamentarian.

University officials maintain that the institution has already submitted its compliance report to the HEC, and that it is now the commission’s responsibility to submit its findings to the Supreme Court so that the programme may be reinstated. Since the suspension was imposed in 2020, it remains unclear why the academic processing of the remaining five scholars, who have all fulfilled the programme’s requirements, has also been halted.

The prescribed eight-year period for the remaining five scholars, who were admitted to the PhD Law programme in July 2018, is due to expire soon. The HEC and the university must, therefore, resolve the matter urgently and allow these scholars to submit their theses to the BASR for further processing without further delay.

Khwaja Tajammul Hussain
Karachi

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2026