KP minister accused of using unfair means in examinations

PESHAWAR: A letter circulating on social media says KP Minister for Higher Education was allegedly involved in using unfair means in the Bachelor of Law first-semester examinations.

Mina Khan, a student at Frontier Law College, affiliated with the University of Peshawar, was accused of cheating on a paper and was called to appear before the examination disciplinary committee in January 2024, right before the elections.

A letter from the University of Peshawar issued on January 9 came to the surface saying that he was alleged of using of unfair means during the examination of LLB in skilled development papers. “You are directed to appear before the examination disciplinary committee on January 30, 2024, at the University of Peshawar and defend the charges leveled against you. In case of non-appearance before the committee, it will be considered that you have no defence to offer; as such ex-party decision will be taken against you,” the letter said.

Hizb Ullah, the Controller of the Examination at the University of Peshawar, said, “Yes, this is true and it happened in January 2024 before the election. He was let off by the Exam Disciplinary Committee from the case as no cheating material was attached to the paper.”

When reached, Minister for Higher Education Mina Khan confirmed that he had received the notice and appeared in January this year before the EDC. “They told me that I have created disturbances in the examination hall,” he narrated.

“I told them that I was the most senior among my colleague students, and how it was possible that I had created disturbance in the hall,” he said and added, “However, the committee cleared me and declared me successful in the exam.”

He said that this letter should also be seen in the context after May 9, when the election phase started and PTI candidates were being prevented from elections. He said it was a conspiracy against him to throw him out of the elections.

When asked why the letter had come to light now, he said, “Many elements are conspiring against me because I have taken strict measures in the Higher Education Department. Some elements are unhappy over the cancellation of the recruitment process of vice-chancellors. They want to target me,” he said.