ISLAMABAD: Over 100 former lawmakers who were unable to submit their documents to the Higher Education Commission (HEC) by Friday for verification are now likely to be out of the electoral race.

According to a list available with Dawn, out of 183 former lawmakers given an opportunity to get their educational papers authenticated, only 80 did so by the April 5 deadline. This leaves 103 facing the prospects of disqualification.

According to an official of the Higher Education Commission, the Supreme Court had instructed the HEC on April 1 to extend the date for degree verification to April 5 and intimate all politicians that they had another opportunity to get their degrees verified.

“Following the orders of the Supreme Court, the HEC published two public notices to inform politicians that they should get their degrees verified and five special cells were opened in Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta and Karachi where 50 HEC officials were deputed to facilitate them,” he said.

“The degrees of 80 ex-lawmakers have been verified, but those who failed to submit their degrees or whose degrees could not be verified cannot take part in the elections,” he said.

The parliamentarians facing the likelihood of ouster include big shots like Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat, Mian Manzoor Ahmed Khan Wattoo, Hamid Nasir Chattha, Syed Sardar Ahmed, Imtiaz Safdar Warraich and Sheikh Waqas Akram.

The list also includes Azeem Daultana, Mohammad Mehboob Sultan, Rana Mohammad Farooq Saeed Khan, Rukhsana Bangash, Rai Ghulam Mujtaba Kharal, Malik Nauman Ahmed Langriyal, Liaqat Ali Khan, Muddasar Qayyum, Mian Abdul Haq, Mohammad Mohsin Ali Qureshi, Pir Dilawar Shah, Nawaz Khan, Mehboobullah, Syed Allauddin, Shahzada Muhyuddin, Bilal Rehman, Zafar Baig Bhatani, Farhat Begum, Talat Iqbal Mahessar, Attia Inayatullah, Begum Shahnaz Sheikh and Dr Nalson Azeem.The list of former members of the Punjab Assembly include Gulshan Ara, Mohammad Ilyas Chinioti, Syed Iftikhar Hussain Gilani, Ahmad Ali Aulakh, Mohammad Asadullah, Javed Ahmed, Kamran Michael, Makhdoom Syed Ali Raza Shah, Sanaullah Khan Mastikhel and Malik Mohammad Nawaz.

Among the former members of the Sindh Assembly who have not got their degrees verified are Haji Mohammad Hayat Khan Talpur, Mir Mehboob Ali, Rukia Khanum, Touqeer Fatima Bhutto and Ahmed Ali Khan Jalbani.

Former members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly facing disqualification as candidates include Abdul Raziq, Gulzar Ahmed Khan, Gul Naseeb Khan, Fauzia Arshad, Wajihuz Zaman Khan.

From the Balochistan Assembly, the names of Abdul Rahim Khan Mandokhel, Abdul Khaliq, Samina Raziq and Sardar Sanaullah Khan Zehri are on the list.

Former minister Sheikh Waqas Akram and former a Punjab MPA, Yasir Raza, submitted their degrees, but the papers were declared fake.

The HEC record also shows names of the late minorities affairs minister Shahzad Bhatti and senator Wali Mohammad Badini.