HEC refuses to recognise Indus International Institute’s degrees

–Police disperse protesting students

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has refused to recognise the degrees of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif-inaugurated Indus International Institute (III), Dera Ghazi Khan, forcing students to come out on streets.

The institute is being run by renowned philanthropist and PML-N-lawmaker Hafiz Abdul Karim from DG Khan.  According to students, Indus International Institute (III) lured them to take admission in the institute and has destroyed future of about 2,000 students.

A video viral on social media urged the authorities to take action against responsible for destroying the future of students.

Muhammad Afzal, a student of business management, said the Indus institute has ruined his future because the HEC has declared his degree fake. “The Indus institute administration, first of all, widely propagated that the institute was affiliated with the Government College University, Faisalabad (GCUF). They got the institute inaugurated from Shahbaz Sharif, later they called Punjab Governor Rafique Rafique Rajwana and Punjab Education Minister Rana Mashood Khan at the convocation to award degrees. All this was a show-off, and an attempt on the behalf of the institute to win over students and parents.

He alleged that security guard of the influential MNA started aerial firing when they were protesting outside his house. Police did not arrest the security guard rather threatened and intimated students,” he accused.

He said when went to the HEC to get his degree verified but the commission declared it fake that was when he became aware of this hoax. “Even the GCU Faisalabad refused to recognise our degrees along with the institute itself.”

Parents of a student Malik Qamar blamed the Punjab government for this fiasco. “The management of the institute had taken huge fees from us on different pretexts, but they just minted money from us and gave our children only a piece of paper, not degrees. We urge the Punjab government and HEC to close down the institute and take action against those responsible for destroying future of our children.”

Police reportedly resorted to baton-charge and aerial firing to disperse the protesting students.