MUHAMMAD USMAN MUJTABA
The Indus Institute in Dera Ghazi Khan, owned by Federal Communications Minister Hafiz Abdul Karim, allegedly distributed fake degrees during its 2016’s degree distribution ceremony, Pakistan Today has learnt.
According to details, Punjab Governor Rafique Rajwana was the chief guest during the degree distribution ceremony when it was revealed that the degrees he distributed were fakes and held no value.
The university has been affiliated with three universities — Federal Urdu University (FUU), National College for Business Administration and Economics (NCBAE) and Faisalabad Government College University (GCU). However, Indus Institute is one of the three educational institutes besides Al-Khair University and Layyah Campus of Preston University that have been recently declared illegal by the Punjab Education Department.
Around 850 students completed their degrees from NCBAE, and around 300 to 350 students got their degrees from GCU.
Hundreds of students took to the streets to protest the fake degrees given to them by the Indus Institute recently and asked the high-ups to take immediate action against the perpetrators.
Tempers ran high when the police baton-charged the protesting students and registered FIRs against them.
“We are the aggrieved party and still we are the ones being baton charged by the police while our future lies in limbo,” said the students. They requested the government to take action and save their future.
Executive Director (ED) Qazi Subhan, talking to Pakistan Today, stated that the issue is on the brink of being solved. He said, “There was an issue between Indus Institute and NCBAE pertaining to the registration of some students. We moved to GCU and when it asked for record from NCBAE, there was some delay. It is due to that delay that things went haywire.”
The ED said that the record of 224 students has been filed and record of 17 students also got verified. He assured that the issue is being resolved and it is only a matter of time that it will be sorted out. He added that a new batch has also been started from August 21.