Fake degree: IHC disposes of PML-N MPA's ICA

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday disposed of intra-court appeal (ICA) of MPA Chaudhry Kashif Mehmood belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), challenging his disqualification for possessing a fake degree.

A division bench of the IHC comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and Justice Lubna Salim Pervez heard the ICA, and disposed of the same after the petitioner's counsel withdrew the appeal.

Khasif Mehmood had moved the court through Advocate Kulsum Khaliq and adopted that the learned single bench did not consider the facts and circumstances of the case and disqualify/de-notify the appellant only on the report of Al-Khair University but the appellant was not a student of Al-Khair University nor he studied in the said university.

He prayed before the court to set aside the impugned order dated January 31, 2020, passed by the single judge and the appellant may kindly be qualified for holding the position of Member Punjab Assembly and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) may be directed to notify the appellant as a successful candidate.

A single bench comprising Justice Aamer Farooq had disqualified the MPA and directed the ECP to de-seat the lawmaker. Abdul Ghaffar had sought disqualification of Mehmood as he had allegedly contested the 2018 general election on basis of a fake educational degree.

Previously, a private university declared that the MPA of PML-N from Bahawalnagar Kashif Mehmood held a bogus degree of Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA).

The university on the directive of the IHC had submitted a report about the authenticity of the MPA's educational credentials. In its report, the university said that Mahmood had never been its student.

Abdul Ghaffar, a resident of the Bahawalnagar district has filed the petition and cited the provincial assembly secretary, Punjab Assembly speaker, MPA Mahmood and the ECP as respondents.