The Lahore High Court on Wednesday disqualified PML-Q MPA Malik Iqbal Langrial for having his graduation degree from a seminary which was not recognized by the Higher Education Commission ((previously known as the University Grant Commission).
diploma fraud
Justice Nasir Saeed Sheikh of the LHC issued the order on two identical petitions filed by his rival candidates Saifur Rehman of PML-N and Jamshed Alam. The judge declared the Punjab assembly seat – PP-226 Sahiwal – as vacant and ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan to hold fresh election in the constituency.
The petitioners who filed these petition in 2008 submitted that Langrial had degrees Sanadul Firagh from Madrissa AlQuranul Arabia Baharul Uloom Shikarpur Sindh and Shahadatul Alamia from Jamia Talimatul Islamia Rawalpindi. They said these seminaries were not affiliated with Wafaqul Madaris and were not recognized by the University Grant Commission (now the Higher Education Commission).
They said that, in 2002, the UGC had issued a notification of seminaries having affiliation with it and degrees issued by those seminaries were recognized. They said the seminaries from which Langrial obtained degrees were not included in the notification of the UGC therefore he could not contest election on the basis of degrees obtained from those seminaries.
Advocate Tipu Salman Makhdoom, counsel for respondent Langrial, submitted in his defence that seminary Jamia Talimat Islamia, Sargodha Road, Faisalabad, was included in the UGC notification and Jamia Talimat Islamia Rawalpindi was its affiliated branch. He said that, since 1971, it had affiliation with it therefore its degrees were considered to be issued by Jamia Talimat Islamia, Sargodha. Therefore the degree obtained by his client was recognized by the UGC and was equal to the degree of graduation, he said and added that the petitioners being his rival candidates had filed the petitions just to blackmail and pressurize his client.
The judge after hearing the arguments of both parties reserved the judgment and, after one hour, accepted the petitions declaring Langrial disqualified.
These petitions earlier were heard by former LHC chief justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed who had constituted local commission to record evidences in the petitions. On the complaint of the local commission, Justice Nisar once had warned Langrial that if he did not record his statement before the local commission his assembly membership might be suspended.
visa consultant: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday directed the Federal Investigation Agency to put name of Asim Malik, chief executive of a famous visa consultant company, on Exit Control List (ECL).
The court issued the order while hearing several petitions against the visa consultant company and its owner. The petitioner pleaded that they had given money to the respondent company for going abroad but the latter had cheated them.
They said the company’s chief executive Asim Malik had neither sent them abroad nor returned their money. The petitioners stated that the respondent was planning to flee the country due to cases initiated against his company. They requested the court to order the FIA to place the name of the respondent on the ECL.
Justice Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi admitted the petition for regular hearing and directed the FIA to place the respondent’s name on the ECL.
Ex-CJ murder plot case: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday granted protective bail to three officials of Special Branch allegedly involved in a case of releasing false intelligence report about murder plot of former LHC Chief Justice Khwaja Muhammad Sharif.
Federal Investigation Agency, Punjab, had registered a case against Special Branch Punjab Director Shahid Mehmood and two other personnel Muhammad Azam and Ijaz Ahmad.
The accused through their counsel pleaded that they had no role in the report of alleged murder plot of ex-Justice Sharif but the FIA intentionally implicated them in the case.
They prayed that protective bail be granted to them and the FIA be restrained from arresting them. Justice Ali Baqir Najfi granted them protective bail till August 23 and stopped the FIA from arresting the accused. The judge also directed the accused to approach trial court.
Special Branch Punjab Chief Col (retired) Ehsanur Rehman, Secretary to Punjab CM Tauqeer Shah and PML-N worker Talha Burki were also booked by the FIA.
This article originally appeared on thenews
