Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has reportedly directed the Chairman of Higher Education (HEC), Javed Leghari, not to talk to the press without formal permission from the Education Minister, official sources told Business Recorder.
"Government officials, unless so authorised, are not allowed to hold press conferences or to have direct contacts with the media and should adhere to the provisions of the conduct and efficiency and discipline rules 1973 in letter and spirit," sources quoted the prime minister as saying during Cabinet meeting on September 1, 2010.
Javed Leghari, who gave up his Senate seat for Shaukat Tarin, is a controversial figure in political circles subsequent to his role with respect to evaluating the veracity of degrees of the country's parliamentarians. According to sources, the Cabinet reiterated that those accorded the status of an office (eg that of a Federal Minister) cannot be deemed 'at par' with the regular office holders (Federal Ministers).
Sources said that the Cabinet also reiterated that Federal Minister for Education, in terms of article 91 of the Constitution, is responsible to the Parliament for the functions allocated to the Ministry of Education under the Rules of Business 1973 and hence all the organisations, including HEC, shall operate/route their respective summaries etc through the Ministry of Education.
A couple of months ago, Gilani had summoned both the Minister for Education Asif and Chairman of HEC, Javed Leghari, to resolve differences between them. In a recent interview with Business Recorder, HEC Chairman had stated that the Education Ministry and the National Assembly standing committee on education no longer have any role in the verification of degrees.
In July, former DCO of Tando Mohammad Khan, Dr Farooq Leghari, who is brother of Higher Education Commission chairman Dr Javed Leghari, was picked up by plainclothe policemen and Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) officials. However, after a couple of days, he was released on bail.