HYDERABAD: A civil judge and judicial magistrate granted bail to Isra University’s Chancellor Prof Dr Hameedullah Qazi who was arrested late on Saturday night and charged with issuing a fake degree.

During the hearing, the judge asked the Investigation Officer to read out the FIR after which the judge pointed out that there were contradictions in the sections of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and content of the FIR.

The judge also underlined that the intent accused Qazi and 3 others of hatching conspiracy against the university but no section pertaining to that offence was inserted in the FIR.

The chancellor informed the court that he was manhandled and humiliated during the police custody. He also informed the court that he was kept at a police station near Matiari district for more than 3 hours after which he was shifted to Hatri police station where the FIR was lodged against him.

The court granted bail to Qazi against a surety of Rs. 50,000.

According to the FIR, Vice Chancellor Ahmed Waliullah Qazi and 2 other officials besides Hameedullah were allegedly involved in issuing a fake degree. The FIR’s complainant Zaid Laghari, Managing Director of Isra University and son of VC Isra Dr Nazeer Laghari, alleged that he received the degree and other documents of a student Sheeraz Ali which on verification were proved fake. According to him, the 4 persons accused in the FIR were not authorized signatories for issuance of the degrees.

Talking to the media outside the court, Qazi said 2 to 3 uniformed men and 8 to 10 plainclothesmen entered his residence in Muslim Society on Saturday night and harassed his family and humiliated him during his arrest. He claimed that he was asked to cover his face with his shirt when they were crossing Rajputana hospital so that he could not see where he was being taken.

Qazi accused Laghari for lodging fake FIRs against the Qazi family’s members who were legally appointed officers of Isra. “I spent 7 years in the US to complete my PhD. I could have stayed there but preferred to return to my country. But here the manner in which police manhandle the academicians and criminal people forcefully occupy the academic institutions will affect the education of children and youth,” he warned.

He appealed to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and Inspector General Sindh police to take notice of the way he was arrested, intimidated and humiliated in a fake case. He said the local police were well aware of the legal battle which Qazis were fighting against Laghari in the Sindh High Court but despite that they acted partisan to Laghari to arrest him.