ISLAMABAD, May 13: Friction between politicians and the Higher Education Commission (HEC) is likely to emerge after the Cabinet Division withdrew HEC’s power to verify degrees and handed them over to the newly established Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination (MNHSRC).
However, Chairman HEC Dr. Javaid R. Laghari on Monday wrote a letter to the Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso stating that the notification regarding the transfer of power was against the rules and contempt of the Supreme Court orders.
Therefore, the HEC would continue verifying degrees, Dawn has learnt.
Tension between politicians and HEC rose after the Supreme Court ordered in June 2010 to verify degrees of all parliamentarians and members of the provincial assemblies.
Some politicians tried to obtain no objection certificates (NOC) without verification of their degrees, but the HEC refused to do so.
Resultantly, politicians including Jamshed Dasti had to resign and former minister for education Sheikh Waqas Akram preferred not toparticipate in the elections after he was declared a fake degree holder.
According to the notification dated 9th May 2011 and signed by the Deputy Secretary MNHSRC Saleem Khan (available with Dawn), the subjects regarding standards of higher education and external examination including equivalence of degree have been transferred to the MNHSRC. The ministry has been instructed to transfer all relevant records from the HEC to its office.
An officer of HEC, requesting anonymity, said the government had established HEC as an autonomous organisation with the Prime Minister as its controlling authority.
In view of its self-governing status, the HEC was neither an attached department nor a subordinate office of any ministry or division.
“Three times between 2010 and 2012, attempts were made to put HEC under a ministry, but twice the Supreme Court and once the Sindh High Court assured the autonomy of HEC. In a recent attempt, powers of degree verification and status of the degree awarding institutes have been withdrawn from HEC,” he said.
“Now, the HEC can neither verify degrees nor prevent any institution which does not meet the standards from providing degrees. This would allow fake degree holders to get their degrees cleared from the new ministry,” he said.
“On April 12, 2011, the Supreme Court of Pakistan had clearly directed that the HEC shall continue discharging its functions and duties as it has in the past unless a fresh legislation is promulgated,” he said.
When contacted, Chairman HEC said he had come to know about the notification on Monday, and on the same day, had written a letter to the premier stating the notification was a clear violation of the rules.
“My meeting is already scheduled with the PM on May 20. I will also inform him about the previous attempts of disturbing the autonomy of HEC and will request him to instruct withdrawal of all notifications,” he said.
Mr Laghari added that HEC would continue verifying degrees, and only an act by the Parliament could prevent HEC from doing so.
Former Chairman HEC Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman said the caretaker government had no right to harm the autonomy of HEC. “The cabinet division’s notification is illegal and the secretary cabinet should be sent to jail,” he said.
He added that 35 politicians who had failed to verify their degrees had been allowed to contest the elections and they knew their degrees would not be verified by the HEC.
“Therefore, they (politicians) want to verify their degrees from ministries. The autonomy of HEC is protected and all notifications regarding HEC are illegal,” he said.
Legal expert Justice (Retired) Tariq Mehmood, while talking to Dawn, said that although he did not agree with General Pervez Musharraf’s decision which only allowed degree holders to contest elections, the law should be implemented in its true letter and spirit.
“The bureaucracy should start obeying the law because otherwise we will collapse as a nation. I am getting a similar news regarding elections, which shows transparency is nowhere,” he said.