The Supreme Court on Thursday sought details of stay orders granted by various courts to the employees of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), holding fake degrees. A two-member bench headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial heard the case of fake degrees of PIA employees. The Supreme Court in May 2019 had rejected the review petitions of eight PIA employees who were found holding fake degrees.

Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC) Tariq Banuri appeared before the court and said that Al-Khair University degrees before 2009 were declared valid due to time bound. However, the candidates who obtained Al-Khair University degrees after 2009 were asked to re-appear in examinations.

Justice Bandial questioned how the degrees were declared valid on time-bound basis. The chairman said that in 2009, the HEC had issued notice to Al-Khair University and closed it from 2009 to 2011. He submitted that the HEC held only Al-Khair University's Azad Jammu and Kashmir Bhimber Campus valid.

Justice Bandial said the court was provided a list of 146 PIA employees possessing fake degrees. He inquired from the PIA counsel about the stance of PIA regarding promotion of employees holding Al-Khair University. He said that there is no objection against them as all of them are performing their duties to the satisfaction of the authorities.

Justice Bandial asked whether the PIA conducted inquiry regarding fake degrees of its employees on its own or on the directives of the apex court. The counsel said that it was done on Supreme Court's directives.

Deputy Attorney General Sohail Mehmood said that still the fake degree holders are still working in PIA as they have obtained stay orders against their removal from the courts. Justice Bandial said that according to the law, if anyone holds fake degree, he is not entitled for the government job. He said that if anyone's matriculation certificate is fake, all his degrees would be declared invalid.

The court ordered the PIA to submit a proposal in relation to the employees who are holding degrees from Al-Khair and Preston Universities. The court sought a report from PIA regarding employees holding fake degrees and said it be informed who had taken stay orders from the courts against their removal.

The case is adjourned for an indefinite period.