ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) on Monday directed 189 legislators, who had failed to submit their educational certificates, to get their degrees verified from the Higher Education Commission by April 5, Dispatch News Desk (DND) reported.
A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry began hearing of suo moto notice case pertaining to lawmakers with fake degrees.
During today’s hearing, the Chief Justice said that parliamentarians holding fake degrees could face criminal cases and granted 189 lawmakers time until April 5 to submit their educational certificates for verification to the HEC.
The chief justice said that 54 lawmakers were found holding fake degrees whereas 189 lawmakers had not submitted their educational certificates since the past two and a half years. He said that according to the Constitution of Pakistan members of parliament could face criminal prosecution for intentionally submitting false statements.
Justice Iftikhar further said that degrees should be issued from an approved institute and that the matter of degrees should be like an open book.
Secretary of the Election Commission Ishtiaq Ahmed told the court that the Commission had been informed by the HEC about 69 cases of fake degrees held by lawmakers and that the cases were forwarded to the relevant courts for criminal proceedings.
Ishtiaq said that FIRs were lodged against 21 lawmakers who held fake degrees and that the names of lawmakers holding fake degrees were being uploaded on the ECP website.
DND
