ECP, MPs agree on degree verification procedure
01 March, 2013
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Higher Education Commission (HEC) and a special eight-member parliamentary committee on Thursday agreed on a procedure for verification of and educational certificates of remaining 223 parliamentarians.
According to a written statement released after the meeting, all three stake holders - ECP, HEC and the parliamentary committee - have agreed that the procedure for verification of degrees being followed previously will continue. The ECP will send a request to the HEC to confirm whether the degrees submitted by a candidate with his nomination forms is genuine.
In case a negative report based on proof provided by the university concerned from the HEC, the ECP will take action in accordance with law after due notice to the candidate concerned. It has been decided that the parliamentarians will be allowed to file their nomination papers along with an undertaking that copies of the educational degrees provided to the ECP are not fake. The candidates will be allowed to campaign for the general election.
After the meeting, Federal Law Minister Farooq Naik told reporters consensus has been reached between the ECP, HEC and the parliamentary committee on verification of degrees of the remaining MPs. He said they have unanimously agreed on procedure for the verification of degrees. "We have complete confidence in ECP. Now every body can proceed for the elections," he added.
When asked about the verification of Matriculate and FA certificates, Naik said universities are responsible for verifying not only degrees but also other school and college certificates.
In case any of the certificate or degree is found fake, ECP will proceed against the candidate and no one would be exempt from this verification, he added. HEC Chairman Javed Leghari said his organisation will request universities to verify the certificates from boards concerned and the HEC will verify the degrees only. He said HEC will re-verify degrees and certificates of the 27 MPs about which a report has been published in the media.
Chief Election Commissioner Justice (r) Fakhruddin G Ebrahim presided over the meeting. ANP MNA Bushra Gohar, Zahid Hamid of PML-N, Raza Hayat Hiraj of PML-Q and Zahar Baig Bettani from FATA also attended.
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