PESHAWAR: PTI MNA Murad Saeed, who is at the centre of a controversy over a make-up test, on Wednesday moved the Peshawar High Court to seek its orders for the University of Peshawar to issue him the degree of BS Environmental Science for the session, which ended in 2009.

In a petition filed through lawyer Muzamil Khan, the lawmaker said as a regular student of four-year Bachelor of Environmental Sciences programme in the 2005-09 session, he had completed all eight semesters and was entitled to have the degree.

The respondents in the petition are the University of Peshawar (UoP) through its vice chancellor, the UoP registrar, the UoP controller of examinations, and the chairman of the UoP Department of Environmental Sciences.

The controversy emerged recently when the media reported that arrangements were made in haste for Murad Saeed to make up for his two papers - Introduction to Environmental Sciences and Remote Sensing - under dubious circumstances. The papers were allegedly marked and checked the same day in sheer violation of the rules.

After the controversy arose, the UoP vice chancellor formed a three-member committee to probe the matter.

The committee has reportedly recommended the cancellation of make-up papers insisting the entire procedure adopted for conducting papers lacked transparency and violated the laid down rules.

The MNA reportedly didn’t appear before the committee to explain his position on the matter.

Murad Saeed faces controversy over make-up test

In the petition, Murad Saeed claimed that his department’s chairman and overall supervisor had issued the course completion certificate on Nov 26, 2009.

He claimed that he waited for the issuance of his degree by the UoP and that he contacted the competent authority on various occasion for issuance of the degree but every time, he was kept waiting and reply of the respondents was that he would certainly be issued his degree at his residential address.

Murad Saeed said he remained in contact with his department and more importantly with the controller of examinations but was later denied degree due to interference by some student activists, who created doubts in the minds of public at large through press and electronic media, whereas the respondents were reluctant to issue degree to him.

The petitioner said the reluctance of respondents to issue degree to him was discriminatory and arbitrary as other students similarly placed had already been issued degree in the same course of time.

He said he belonged to the PTI and had never resorted to any fraud or misrepresentation while submitting his nomination forms for the election of NA-29 Swat and instead, he mentioned the qualification in nomination form which he held at that time.

Murad Saeed said he never used pressure tactics to secure his degree and instead applied for it as a normal graduate and that he had the every right to do so.

Published in Dawn March 12th , 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play