Isa Daudpota and Naeem Sadiq
A dozen or so of these unworthy parliamentarians have been already disqualified on grounds of fake degrees. Many more continue to be our MNAs and MPAs.
Even though the Constitution no longer requires any higher education, for how long shall we suffer this national indignity and tolerate these unethical characters?
Why shouldn’t the Supreme Court task the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to verify the degrees of all MNAs and MPAs and get rid of those who entered the legislatures on the basis of deception and fraud?
Regardless of their party, all fake degree holders should be removed and made ineligible for any future elections.
Here is an appeal we have sent to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, requesting suo moto action from the judiciary on this matter.
If you agree with our views and are sufficiently moved, do write a supporting letter to the Supreme Court Chief Justice or a letter to Pakistani newspapers. Let’s all turn the pressure up.
Mr. Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry
Honorable Chief Justice
Supreme Court of Pakistan.Re: Request to take Suo Moto Notice in the Public Interest against Parliamentarians with Fake Degrees
Dear Sir,
For over a decade there has been a proliferation in the acquisition and use of fake degrees. This unethical practice took a new direction when the government made a bachelor’s degree a requirement for entering parliament. Many parliamentarians, who did not meet the required educational qualifications took the easy route and obtained fake degree certificates.
Several members of the provincial and national assemblies have been exposed by their opponents and media, resulting in them losing their seats. Some 40 of them have been challenged in courts, while many other fake degree holders continue to retain their parliamentary seats.
The new law has removed the degree requirement. This however does not mean that those who used deception in the past should either continue to be our lawmakers or be allowed to contest forthcoming elections or bye-elections.
The interest of Pakistan and the common interest of all citizens is seriously compromised by law-makers who indulge in such unethical and fraudulent practices.
We therefore appeal to the Supreme Court to order the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to urgently verify the authenticity of the educational qualifications of all parliamentarians. The HEC is mandated to perform this task and to maintain educational standards in the country.
Those found to have used fake documents to enter parliament may be removed from parliament and disqualified from entering this honorable body again.
Applicants:
Isa Daudpota & Naeem Sadiq
Editor’s Note: This was also published at TeethMaestro’s blog.
And one more and an important issue on fake degrees.
When Mr. Dasti resigned fromthe Parliament guessing he would face a fake degree, he was granted a seat by the Co-Chairman of PPP (the President of Pakistan???) to this cheat to contest in the bye-elections.
Has not the President commited an error of judgement and violated the constitution by nominating a proven gulity of fraud. Is he himself not party to this illegal act?
And, how come the Election Commission ignore and omit this folly and allow Mr. Dasti to contest the elections?
What is going on in this Godforsaken country?
Before we discuss the issue of taking the fake degree holders to task, we need to solve one puzzle. Was there an ulterior motive in removing the condition of holding a university degree for the lawmakers before establishing the correctness or the fakeness of the degree of a parliamentarian. I say sobased on the following premise:
If the degree of a lawmaker is checked for its correctness and one is found possessing a fake degree then he/she is immediately removed from the parliament and then can be subjected to law i.e. arrested for fraud; while if he is allowed to remain a lawmaker and if his degree is proven fake, he can not be arrested as only Parliament can move a reference against him. So,in my opinion, removing the condition of the degree has provided these culprits a ‘shadow’ immunity for which the Supreme Court should reconsider the whole case. One may also smell some sort of a plan in timing of these two events i.e. removing the condition before the degrees are checked.
Will appreciate comments
Here is the latest development on this.. good news:
The National Assembly’s Standing Committee for Education handed over degrees of 873 parliamentarians to the Higher Education Commission (HEC) for verification on Tuesday.
The meeting of the Committee on Education was chaired by Abid Sher Ali at the parliament house in Islamabad. The degrees were submitted by the secretary of election commission.
Subsequently, the NA standing committee gave 873 degrees of parliamentarians including the degrees of 249 National Assembly members to the HEC for further verification. The NA standing committee handed over 216 degrees of Punjab parliamentarians , 106 of Pakhtunkhwa, 106 of Sindh and 64 of Baloch parliamentarians to the HEC for verification.
People who lie should not be allowed hold any public office.
I have been thinking of joining such a movement or starting one ! Great idea. We are all fed up with these things stopping the country from progressing.
Not only fake degree holders but also all those who are involved in any sort of corruption should be chucked out.
Moreover, there should be some law to protect those members of the ruling party or the opposition who speak or vote against their parties on any issue.
Dummies supporting each & every move of their respective leaders ( who dont deserve any respect) should have no place in both the august houses of parliament.