ISLAMABAD – In an apparent bid to protect fake degree-holding parliamentarians, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is using delaying tactics to send cases of 21 lawmakers to police for the registration of FIRs against them.
The cases were closed a month ago by the hearing committee after conducting more than 17 hearings over a period of five months. The committee had referred the cases of 35 lawmakers’ to the chief election commissioner for initiating appropriate action against them.
But for the last one month, the ECP has been keeping mum over the fate of these 21 lawmakers. The lawmakers accused of having dubious degrees include Yar Muhammad Rind, Saima Aziz, Mazhar Hayat, Abdul Samad Akhundzada, Abdul Qayoom, Syed Aqil Shah, Mazhar Hayat, Haji Raziud Din and Ijaz Ahmed.
On the other hand, the ECP also appears helpless before more than 270 lawmakers who have not submitted their matriculation and Intermediate certificates to HEC despite repeated reminders. “Despite sending more than four letters to the ECP to ask the lawmakers for submitting their matriculation and intermediate certificates…. we have no other option but to sit silently,” a senior HEC official said.
An ECP official said the commission was following instructions of the government, as top guns of the ruling PPP directed the ECP to delay the process for as long as it could. He said no action had been so far started against Federal Minister for Postal Services Israrullah Khan Zehri by the ECP, despite him being served a final notice almost three months ago.
KP MPA held over fake degree
PESHAWAR – Police on Saturday arrested a lawmaker of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Assembly on charges of providing a fake graduation degree to the Election Commission of Pakistan. The arrest is the first of an elected representative in the country in recent months. Sardar Ali Khan, an elected member of Provincial Assembly, appeared before the Chhota Lahore, Swabi District Additional Session Judge Jehangir Khan to get his bail before arrest confirmed.
But the court canceled his bail and ordered his arrest. On orders of the Election Commission of Pakistan, Swabi Police had filed a case against Sardar Ali for possessing a fake degree. The Election Commission had declared him ineligible, as his both degrees were declared fake. Haq Nawaz Khan
