UoP notifies award of degree to Murad Saeed

PESHAWAR: In a controversial move, the University of Peshawar finally decided to notify the award of degree to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s former Member National Assembly Murad Saeed.

The step is being referred to as a clear violation of all rules. According to sources, the decision has been taken and a notification has been made for declaring the result of Murad Saeed and issuing degree to him.

Controller examinations Dr Fazle Hadi, when reached on telephone, however, said that a notification has not yet been made. But hopefully it would be notified after Eid, he said. The acting registrar of the university Dr Zahid Gul in a letter dated June 12 had asked the controller examinations to notify the case, the sources said.

The letter wrongly interpreted the decision of the Peshawar High Court by stating that the case be notified in pursuance of the orders of the honourable court. The Peshawar High Court in its decision in March this year had referred the case to the Syndicate of the University of Peshawar with the directives that the former MNA should be given a chance of personal hearing. The administration of the University of Peshawar instead of presenting the case before the Syndicate formed a three-member committee to look into it. This committee held only three meetings and filed its recommendations. It called Murad Saeed for personal hearing, but he did not appear before it stating that his statement to the court should be considered as his personal statement. The committee had recommended to the vice-chancellor that the case should be resolved in favour of Murad Saeed.

Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Mohammad Asif on his return from abroad took up the issue and instructed the quarters concerned to notify the result after which the registrar issued the letter to the controller examination, the sources said.

The issue hit headlines in March 2015 when a quick make up examination was arranged for Murad Saeed, the PTI MNA from Swat. Three papers had been arranged for him in one hour and the results were also prepared within no time without taking care of time bar and violation of all rules.

When the issue was highlighted in the media, the university formed a committee, which declared the make-up examination null and void. Murad Saeed was a student of the department of environmental sciences, University of Peshawar from 2005 to 2009. He could not clear three papers. Under the university rules, he should have cleared all his papers by 2012. The university has already denied degrees to a number of students on the basis of time bar.