KARACHI, June 11: The Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology (FUUAST) has pardoned more than 350 students charged with cheating during the examinations held in December 2006.

An 11-member vigilance committee, formed last year to curb the use of unfair means during exams, had caught more than 400 students using cheating material and misbehaving with the invigilators and reported the cases for further action to the authorities concerned.

The teachers and invigilators had been paid Rs400,000 to take measures to check the use of unfair means during exams.

The committee had sent reports against more than 600 students to the Unfair Means Committee for the final decision.

The Unfair Means Committee comprising the dean of the Science faculty, Dr Rashid Kamal Ansari, the dean of faculty of Arts, Prof Rana Hilal, and Prof Asghar Ali, short-listed 350 cases out of more than 600 to cancel their examination papers.

But later the university vice-chancellor ordered not to punish the students after one of the committee members recommended the action in writing.

The member wrote in his recommendation to the vice-chancellor: “As a member of the vigilance committee that had recommended punishment to the students charged with using unfair means and misbehaviour, I recommend to you to pardon all those students and their copies be assigned to the teachers for checking and I pray you not to put these cases in the next meetings of the Unfair Means Committee.”