IHC stays HEC notice barring Hyderabad’s Isra University from functioning

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court has granted a stay order on a Higher Education Commission (HEC) notice barring Hyderabad’s Isra University from functioning.

The court suspended the notice to deactivate the university and sought a response from the HEC by April 22.

The IHC’s Justice Inaam Ameen Minhas issued a written order after the preliminary hearing on the petition of Isra University.

The court order said Makhdoom Ali Khan, Saad Hashmi and Yawar Mukhtar appeared in the court on behalf of the petitioner university and took the plea that Isra University is working in accordance with the law and its charter.

The counsel said the HEC has written a letter to stop the university from working and said degrees issued by Isra University will not be verified in the future.

They said the HEC does not have the authority to issue such an order against any charter university and submitted that issuance of notices by the commission is a violation of Section 10 of the HEC Ordinance 2002 as the HEC cannot stop the university from working.

They requested the court to declare the HEC notices null and void and order the commission to continue verifying the university’s degrees. Further hearing of the case will be held on April 22.