The district and sessions judge on Wednesday issued notices in petitions, filed by the election commission, involving several former lawmakers whose eligibility had been challenged for holding fake degrees or being dual nationals.
Among them were former Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) MPAs Samina Khawar Hayat and Seemal Kamran as well as Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) members Shumaila Rana and Rana Asif Mehmod.
Hayat, accused of contesting the 2008 elections with a fake BBA degree, was summoned on June 3 by Judge Nazir Ahmad Gajana.The cases against Rana of PML-N and Kamran of PML-Q were adjourned.
Prosecution witnesses were summoned for June 11 in dual nationality cases against former PML-Q MNA Begum Shahnaz Sheikh and Mehmood. The Regional Election Commission had submitted complaints against Hayat, Rana and Kamran and is seeking ‘strict action’ against them for lying to the election commission. Hayat, who was elected to a seat reserved for women in the provincial assembly, had submitted a BBA Degree issued by Riphah International University, Islamabad. The degree, according to the electioncommission, was declared a fake by the Higher Education Commission.
Her counsel had then given the commission a copy of a certificate stating that she had completed her BBA from Preston Institute of Management Science and Technology (PIMSAT), Karachi. However, upon verification that degree too turned out to be forged.
Rana and Kamran both claimed to have been graduates of the Punjab University but the varsity had denied issuing BA degrees to both the lawmakers. The judge will take up the case against Rana on June 3. Kamran’s case was adjourned till June 11.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 30th, 2013.