The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will resume hearing of cases against two incumbent Members National Assembly including a Member Provincial Assembly, accused of holding fake degrees. The three legislators - all of them belong to Punjab - managed to make their ways into the national and provincial assemblies of the country through one way or the other include MNAs Muhammad Riaz, Mian Javed Latif and MPA from Provincial Assembly of Punjab.
According to ECP, the three lawmakers have contested that their degrees are not fake and the Azad Kashmir Supreme Court has given verdict in their favour. But this is interesting that the MPs who come all the way from Punjab but holding degrees from the University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
However, despite the verdict of AJK Supreme Court, Higher Education Commission - the top regulatory body of higher education in Pakistan, declaring their degrees as bogus had recommended the ECP to take an appropriate action against the trio. This is pertinent to mention that out of total 52 fake degree holder cases, 27 were sent to the concerned district police officers by the ECP to register FIRs and initiate criminal proceedings against them.
But so far no visible progress has been made in this connection despite the ECP's directives except registering 12 to 13 cases and that just for the sake of formality, which could be withdrawn anytime for their connection with people sitting at the helm of affairs.
The probe into fake degrees first came to surface in 2010 when Supreme Court ordered ECP to initiate inquiry against the fake degree holders MPs and sent the cases of those to the District and Session Judges, who are found guilty of holding fake degrees. But, the process lingered on and even to date no action has been taken against those who bluffed at the time of filing their nomination papers. None of the fake degree holders were either arrested or punished for committing this illegal act and still wandering around as members of national and provincial assemblies.
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