ISLAMABAD, Sept 15: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday directed the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to ‘expeditiously determine the status of a religious seminary in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which had awarded degrees to lawmakers who are now facing proceedings in the Election Commission of Pakistan for having invalid degrees.

Ittahadul Maddaris Al Aarbia in Mardan had awarded degrees to Balochistan’s forest minister Maulana Abdul Samad Akhunzada of the JUI-F and Khalifa Abdul Qayyum, a member of the KP assembly from Dera Ismail Khan.

The IHC bench comprising Chief Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rehman while disposing of the petition filed by Mr Qayyum also directed the HEC and other respondents to decide the status of degrees issued by the IMAA.

Citing the ministries of interior, religious affairs, the ECP and HEC as respondents, Ashraf Ali Khan, counsel for Mr Qayyum, informed the court that the degree of his client was equivalent to M.A. Islamiat. He said during the scrutiny of the nominationpapers neither any party nor the representatives of ECP had raised objections to his client’s educational credentials.

He said during the verification of degrees of lawmakers, the HEC had also found that the degree of his client was genuine but later he was informed that IMAA was not recognised by the HEC.

He said the chief election commissioner on March 14, 2011, granted three months time to Mr Qayyum to remove the objections from his degree but due to hurdles created by the ministries and the HEC, the matter regarding recognition of the institution was still pending.

This was the second petition in two days on which IHC directed the HEC to determine the status of IMAA and of the lawmakers having degrees issued by the educational institution.

On Tuesday, the court heard an identical petition of Maulana Abdul Samad Akhunzada. His counsel Salim Khan contended that due to indecisive approach of the HEC, his client’s political career was at stake.