=> LAHORE: A full bench of the Lahore High Court has
LAHORE: A full bench of the Lahore High Court has held that madrassa degrees will not be considered equal to graduation unless the compulsory subjects of English and Pakistan studies were passed at the bachelors level.
The bench gave this ruling while dismissing a petition of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Khan Zia Ahmad Khan for PP-203, Multan, who challenged the rejection of his nomination papers.
The bench held that the position of the Higher Education Commission was also the same, and that the Supreme Court had already laid down this principle. Zia had challenged the decision and held that his degree from Jamia Ashrafia was equal to graduation.
The bench also held another PML-N candidate, Intisar Hussain Bhatti, disqualified from elections for the National Assembly and Punjab Assembly. The petition against acceptance of his nomination papers was filed by PML-Quaid candidate Liaqat Abbas Bhatti, who had alleged that Intisar was disqualified from BA exams by his university. Liaqat had stated that the returning officer was not right in his decision to accept Intisar’s nomination papers and he should be declared disqualified.
Punjab University authorities also confirmed that Intisar did not carry a valid degree.
The bench rejected the petition of Sajjad Ali, challenging the nomination of PML-Q candidate Ibrahim Khan for NA-152 and PP-203, Multan. The petitioner had alleged that Ibrahim was a defaulter of Rs 700,000.
Three similar petitions were also rejected, one accusing a candidate of possessing a fake BA degree, and two accusing candidates of being loan defaulters.
Source: Daily Times
Date:12/19/2007
” 
” 
” 
” 
” 
