THERE have been alarming reports of fake degrees being issued by some unscrupulous elements at Shah Abdul Latif University (Salu), Khairpur, which is a grave concern for hardworking, deserving students whose years of toil could be reduced to nothing, while their futures hang in the balance.

These degrees are sold like hot cakes in exchange for handsome money — a racket that cannot operate without insider facilitation. According to estimates, over 1,200 fake degrees have been handed out so far. Those with such degrees also have connections that help them secure employment through illegal means, while genuine candidates are shut out by a system that has no reward for merit and competence. Our outdated structures do not merely tolerate the corrupt; they protect and honour them, allowing the same actors to repeat their crimes with impunity.

Nothing will change until these officials are held to account and punished. This is no small matter. It threatens to bring the institutions of civil service to a standstill.

Azhar Azad Mughal
Shikarpur

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2026