|
Degree is fake but you take
Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan Retired Justice Fakhruddin Ibrahim in pursuance to articles 62 and 63 of the constitution on 7th February, 2013 sent notices to as many as 249 parliamentarians asking them to get their educational degrees verified through Higher Education Commission within 15 days time.
Upon expiry of stipulated time given by ECP it is learnt that 40 members of the assemblies have approached HEC which in turn has verified the degrees of 27 of them and it is believed that HEC will issue its verdict about the rest 13 members too in due course of time which is quite understandable but it is very much regretted that bulk majority of our legislators meaning by 209 have totally ignored to get their degrees verified which is very much regretted and cannot be appreciated under any circumstances whatsoever. Honestly speaking former president Gen ® Pervez Musharraf despite lot of hue and cry and stiff opposition has proved himself to be too tough and took a very remarkable decision which is most commendable indeed simply because he made it compulsory that anyone contesting for election either for provincial or national shall have to have a bachelor degree and not otherwise. The law demanded that from now onward nobody can become a member of our assemblies as their degrees are eventuality to be proved as genuine and not fake. I have no hesitation to remark that since then our parliamentarians are now very much educated than before which is very much pleasing to be honest. Needless to mention it was a big blot on our part to have some less uneducated people as members of our assemblies which a highly prestigious forum of the country in any case and therefore it is very much demanded that only educated people be given the authority to make laws of the country through assemblies. Incidentally this step has been widely appreciated by different international organizations.
Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Leader Opposition in National Assembly who is senior leader of PML (N) has very categorically announced publicly that come what may he will never ever submit his degree to HEC for verification which itself proves that his degree in not genuine and not fake. Moreover Nisar being none but opposition leader must set good example for others to follow but regretfully he has turned too stubborn on the issue and I really wonder why and how his boss and mentor Mian Nawaz Sharif just kept quiet on it though it is very much obligatory both officially and morally on the part of Mian to strictly instruct Nisar to submit his degree to HEC in compliance to the instructions of ECP. Isn’t it shameful on the part of Nisar not to submit his degree for verification? Is it a qualification and matter of pride fir Nisar to behave alike? More I think and ponder more I feel ashamed of myself for belonging to the country whose opposition leader behaves so.
Justice Fakhruddin must not relax at all and instead he should take necessary action against all those who ignored the instructions and did not submit their degrees to HEC for authentication but if he does not pursue it for any set of imagination and just ignores them then he will mocking his own self which will be too much detrimental to the post he is occupying. I do understand that there may be some pressure on him not to bother anymore but if he succumbs to such pressure then I will be very blunt to say that he should not have initiated it in the first instance and once he has stepped up he should not step back. He being not only around 80+ is perhaps the aged serving officer at this point of time but also had very high positions like justice and governor etc so if he keeps quiet on it then what can be expected from others who cannot boast of all what he can rightly boast of. Moreover he has been entrusted the job to supervise next elections which is the most sacred trust our government has placed in him and it is very much anticipated that he will be completely neutral in conducting next elections.
Summing up, it is a very testing time for Justice Fakhruddin to prove his strength so far as verification of degrees is concerned and if he does not bulge on it then we can very safely say that he will be a hard nut to be cracked when he supervises next general elections which are a few months away in any case.
Iqbal Hadi Zaidi / Kuwait
|