ISLAMABAD, July 29: In less than a couple of weeks, Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI), a party of ‘change’, was hit by another fake degree issue.

This time an appellate tribunal, on two identical appeals, disqualified Ayla Malik from contesting NA-71 Mianwali by-election on Monday as she holds fake degree.

The appeals were filed by Obaidullah Shadikhel of the Pakistan Muslim League and Inamullah Niazi, cousin of PTI chairman Imran Khan.

Earlier on July 18, the Supreme Court on a petition filed by a resident of Taxila, had suspended the National Assembly membership of Ghulam Sarwar Khan of PTI on same grounds.

According to a report submitted by the HEC in the apex court, his graduation degree and diploma in engineering were counterfeit.

The PTI chairman Imran Khan had left NA-71 Mianwali and kept NA-56 Rawalpindi and chose to field Ayla Malik to contest from his ‘home seat’.

The appellate tribunal comprising Lahore High Court (LHC) Justice Mamoon Rashid Sheikh and Justice Ayesha A. Malik disposing of the petitions declared her disqualified from contesting the by-elections.

Shadikhel is contesting for NA-71 on PML-N ticket while Inamullah Niazi has challenged her candidature for being unhappy with the decision of Imran Khan to award ticket to her.

Ms Malik was facing charges of holding fake educational certificates and defaulting on Rs40 million loan of Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL).

The tribunal, however, dismissed the appeal seeking disqualification of Malik Waheed, a cousin and covering candidate of Ayla Malik of the PTI and allowed him to contest the elections.

Ayla Malik is a niece of former president Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari and granddaughter of Nawab Malik Amir Mohammad Khan, who is also known as the Nawab of Kalabagh.

Ayla Malik was member National Assembly from 2002-2007.

In April this year, she had submitted her nomination papers for NA-71 but withdrew after Imran Khan decided to contest the election from this seat.

Sheikh Zamir advocate, counsel for Obaidullah Shadikhel, who had lost May 11 elections to Imran Khan from the same constituency told Dawn that in April his client did not challenge the papers of Ayla Malik because she withdrew.

According to the appellants, the educational certificates of Ayla Malik of Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) from Rawalpindi Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) and her degree in Economics from Moscow State University of the Russian Federation were fake/bogus.

They also produced her certificates before the appellate tribunal as well.

The controller examination office of BISE on July 20 responding to the application of Obaidullah Shadikhel seeking status of educational status of Ayla Malik declared her HSSC certificate bogus.

According to HSSC certificate of Ayla Malik, she appeared in annual examination in 1989 under the role number 530561 in the ‘Humanities’ group and secured 673 marks out of total 1100 and was awarded grade ‘B’.

The BISE, however, clarified that Imdad Hussain son of Bashir Ahmed appeared under this role number (530561) and was declared “fail”.

Likewise, Lomonosove Moscow State University, in its letter of July 11 also certified that Ayla Malik had never studied there and that “she has not got the Certificate or Degree of Lomonosove Moscow State University in 1995.”

During the course of hearing, Abdus Sttar Chughtai, counsel for Inamullah Niazi, told the court that Ayla Malik, in her nomination papers had mentioned her educational qualification as graduate.

He said that the appellant bench had sent the educational certificate of Ms Malik to the chairman BISE “who after verifying the relevant record reported that certificate of intermediate filed by Ayla Malik with her nomination paper is bogus.”

Referring to the ZTBL record, the counsel said that Ayla Malik was also defaulter of more than Rs40 million loan of the ZTBL and the Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi bench in 2002 had issued a decree against her in this regard.

Dr Babar Awan, counsel for Ayla Malik on the other hand raised objections over the certificate of BISE which was related to the HSSC certificate of his client.

He contended before the court that the educational certificates of Ms Malik were correct but the BISE verification was incorrect as it was not issued in an appropriate manner.

According to him the allegations leveled against Ms Malik were fake and he requested the court to dismiss the appeals seeking disqualification of his client.