News
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
ECP seeks legible copies of degrees of 141 lawmakers* Spokesman says commission all set to act against legislators accused of using fake degrees to contest elections
QUETTA: The Election Commission of Pakistan has sought legible photocopies of the degrees of around 141 parliamentarians from the returning officers concerned from all provinces, including Balochistan.
ECP spokesman Muhammad Afzal Khan clarified that the commission had supplied almost 1,100 copies of educational records, which were enclosed and submitted to the returning officers during the 2008 general elections.
He said the ECP is prepared to take action against the legislators accused of having used fake degrees to contest the election, following the Supreme Court orders received on Monday.
A copy of the SC decision has been sent to Chief Election Commissioner Justice (r) Hamid Ali Mirza, he added.
Khan said the ECP has asked provincial election commissioners to ensure that the legible copies of the degrees of the elected representatives are immediately supplied and sent to the commission in Islamabad.
Scrutiny: He said the judiciary would announce its judgement after the Higher Education Commission scrutinises the degrees and the ECP will act accordingly.
The spokesman maintained that ECP Secretary Mir Ishtiaq Ahmed had assigned the most sensitive job to a senior joint secretary, Syed Sher Afgan, to process the case and deal with it as soon as possible in line with the SC judgement. Meanwhile, the degrees of national and provincial assemblies' members from Balochistan have been sent to the HEC for verification, sources in the provincial Election Commission told a private news channel.
Verification: The sources said National Assembly Standing Committee for Education Chairman Abid Sher Ali had directed the members of national and provincial assemblies of all the provinces to send their degrees for verification.
On the directives of the NA body chairman, the Balochistan Election Commission has sent the degrees of members of the national and provincial assemblies to the HEC for verification.
The sources said the degrees' verification had created a stir among lawmakers from Balochistan, as 17 of the 20 members allegedly do not have genuine degrees, which was confirmed by Deputy Chairman Jan Muhammad Jamali, the channel reported.
On the other hand, Balochistan Interior Minister Mir Zafar Zahri has urged the fake degree-holders to resign. app
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk