Fake degrees issuing racket busted

A well-organised inter-provincial racket involved in issuing fake academic degrees has been smashed with arresting its ring leader along with two members of the gang.
The accused were involved in issuing fake degrees of PhD, MA, BA, and intermediate and matriculation certificates of Pakistan's different universities and boards of education, respectively.
This was stated by Sialkot District Nazim Mian Naeem Javaid here on Sunday. DCO Syed Tahir Raza Naqvi was also present.
The Nazim said he along with the police raided various places for the arrest of the accused involved in this nasty practice last Saturday night, and arrested the ring-leader and two members of this well-organised gang of fake degree-makers, adding the names of the accused were being kept secret.
He said the police also seized a large number of fake degrees, including PhD, MA, BA, inter and matric certificates of Pakistan's different universities and the boards of education, and many other private colleges and universities, which were sold to the people on the desired rates.
Replying a question, the Nazim said the officials of the Sialkot education department and the above-mentioned educational institutions, were directly or indirectly involved in this nasty practice, whose names have been put on the Exit Control List (ECL).
Naeem Javaid said the district government took drastic action after the presentation of fake academic degrees before the Sialkot education department's special recruiting committee for the appointment as PTC teacher against, as the accused applicant (name not disclosed) told all about of getting the fake educational degrees and the persons involved in this business.
DCO Syed Tahir Raza Naqvi said the Sialkot district government had advertised recruitment as many as 593 teachers of different categories against the vacant seats in Sialkot district during the current fiscal year for which more than 8,000 applications were received.
"We smelled some doubt about genuineness of documents that several applicants applied for their recruitment with fake educational degrees, thus we decided to verify all the degrees from the relevant educational boards and universities", the DCO said, adding the recruitment process was to be completed before October 15, 2004, which has now been delayed for indefinite period.
The District Nazim said the Sialkot district government has contacted country's all the educational boards, colleges and private and government universities in this regard.