A District and Sessions Court on Tuesday summoned Khyber Pakhtunkhwa minister for sport and tourism in connection with a fake degree case on October 11.
The regional election commissioner (REC) on Monday filed a complaint in the court of the district and sessions judge, saying sitting Provincial Minister Syed Aqil Shah had submitted fake graduation degree during the 2008 general election. Syed Aqeel Shah contested election for the seat of provincial assembly from PF-4 Peshawar constituency.
Following the complaint, the district and sessions judge summoned the minister on October 11. The petition said the accused filed his nomination papers before the returning officer declaring on oath that he was a graduate, was qualified under Article 62 and was not subject to any disqualification provided under Article 63 to become a candidate for the seat of provincial assembly.
The REC said the bachelor’s degree of the accused issued by Punjab University on October 15, 2002 was inspected by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and was found fake on August 5, 2010.
He added that in support, the HEC supplied a copy of a letter of the university stating that no record of the accused existed there. The petitioner said the accused appeared before a nominated officer of the Election Commission on November 29, 2010 and submitted another copy of BA degree from Punjab University, attested on its back by the HEC.
It was also sent to the HEC for verification but the HEC reported that it was the same degree, which had already declared bogus.
Thereafter, the petition said, the accused produced before the nominated officer a copy of transcript of BA marks sheet issued on March 3, 2007 by Newports Institute of Communication and Economics, Karachi. He also submitted an affidavit wherein he disowned the BA degree from Punjab University and claimed that he had attached copy of the said marks sheet with his nomination paper.
The complainant added that the said copy was also sent to the HEC for verification through Newports, but the institution said the marks sheet had not been issued by it. In September 2011, the accused produced a BBA degree issued by American International College Lahore, which was sent to the HEC for verification.
