Committee recommends cancellation of three papers, action against teachers

PESHAWAR: The probe committee looking into Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Member National Assembly Murad Saeed’s examination controversy here Wednesday recommended cancellation of the three papers of the young lawmaker and action against the teachers concerned.
The committee submitted its report to the University of Peshawar (UoP) Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Rasul Jan.The committee headed by Prof Dr Gulzar Ali Khan, dean Faculty of Numerical and Physical Sciences, found that the make-up examination of two papers was arranged in total violation of the laid down procedure of the university. Also, the record of the third paper produced by one of the teachers was not genuine, the sources added.
The committee recommended that the make-up examination should be declared null and void and all the three papers should be cancelled, the sources maintained. “Now it is up to the authority when and how it implements the report and takes action against the stakeholders,” a source said.
Normally, the source said, the papers would stand cancelled after the submission of the report. For taking disciplinary action against the teachers and other officials involved in violation of the university rules for conducting the make-up examination, a procedural committee would be formed.
Murad Saeed was a student of BS four-year programme at the Department of Environmental Sciences from 2005 to 2009. According to former chairman of the department, Prof Dr Shafiqur Rahman, he has completed his course work, but his result was withheld in May 2010 because record of his three papers was missing.
In June 2014, the MNA submitted an application at the department in which he claimed that he has completed his courses and should be awarded degree. The application stated: “It would be a matter of pride for the department and the university to award degree to Murad Saeed.”
Chairperson of the department in response to the application stated the he should feel proud to take degree from the University of Peshawar, which is a prestigious institution. She had asked the lawmaker to clear his papers so that degree could be awarded to him.
On March 2, he submitted another application for arrangement of the make-up examination and the papers were arranged for him on the same day. According to the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage, he arrived at the department at 2.45 pm and left at 4.50 pm. During this time, the examination was arranged and the papers were checked and marked, the sources said. He took two papers – Introduction of Environmental Sciences and Remote Sensing. The teacher of the third subject – Ecology – produced record of his paper in which he had been awarded 60 marks. The committee found that the papers were arranged in violation of the university rules and the record of the third paper was also not genuine. The committee recommended cancellation of all the three papers. Also, stern action was recommended against the teachers who were involved in arranging the make-up examination, the sources said.
The sources said the detailed marks certificate uploaded by the lawmaker on his Twitter and Facebook accounts was also fake and unverified. The sources further said that it was not the first time for the legislator to fail a paper. “He has already failed to qualify several papers in all his eight semesters at the Department of Environmental Sciences,” the sources said.
According to the old semester rules of the university (1982-2010), Murad Saeed could still appear in a make-up examination provided he follows the prescribed procedure. There is no upper limit for clearing the courses. But, according to the new rules enforced in 2010, he could avail only four chances in two years after completion of his course work to clear all his courses, otherwise he would have to repeat the entire programme, the sources maintained.
Meanwhile, the PTI MNA Murad Saeed on Wednesday moved the Peshawar High Court (PHC) against the University of Peshawar (UoP) to seek the issuance of his BS degree for Bachelor of Environmental Sciences.
The PTI MNA from Swat district filed the writ petition through his lawyer Muzammil Khan to seek issuance of his degree for the four-year programme.
The UoP through its vice-chancellor, registrar, controller of examination and chairman Department of Environmental Sciences were made respondents in the petition.
In the writ petition, the PTI MNA stated that he enrolled for the bachelor programme at the Environmental Sciences Department, UoP in 2005. He said he completed his four-year programme in 2009 in eight semesters.
The petition noted that chairman of the department issued him the course completion certificated on November 26, 2009.
It said the petitioner approached the competent authority for issuance of his degree, but every time he was told that it would be delivered at his home address.
The petitioner claimed he was in touch with his department particularly the controller of examination to get his degree. He alleged the department refused to issue him the degree as some student activists created doubts in the minds of the public at large through the media.
He stated that the respondents were reluctant to issue the degree despite his request and their refusal was unwarranted.
It said that non-issuance of degree and keeping the petitioner waiting was malafide in law as well as discriminatory and arbitrary as other students have been issued degrees in due course of time.
The petitioner pointed out that he was representing his constituency in the National Assembly and being a political figure it was apprehended that some students’ federations were damaging his reputation as well as pressuring the respondents not to issue his degree.
It was stated that the petitioner had never committed any fraud or indulged in misrepresentation while submitting his nomination papers for contesting the election for NA-29 Swat. The petition said that he mentioned his qualification in nomination papers.