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| India-Pakistan | |
| Two MPs Resign for Holding Fake Educational Degrees | |
| 2010-03-27 | |
ISLAMABAD - In a bizarre development two members of the National Assembly from Southern Punjab on Thursday preferred to resign from the assembly instead of defending the charge of contesting election in 2008 on the basis of fake educational degrees.
A fake degree from a religious school. Who would have guessed? Former military ruler Gen. Pervez Musharraf imposed the graduation condition in 2002 for contesting elections but left a loophole by allowing holders of religious sanads (certificates) to qualify as candidates. The exemption facilitated religious alliance, the Muttahida Majlise Amal to participate and emerge as second biggest parliamentary party at the centre and lead governments in Balochistan and NWFP. Dozens of candidates secured fake degrees from religious institutions to contest polls. Jamshed Dasti hit international headlines as chairman of sports standing committee of the assembly when he summoned former cricket captain Younus Khan to explain charges of match fixing last year. Though Khan was absolved by the panel, he felt so offended that he resigned as captain. Incidentally, both Dasti and Jatt had won their cases in election tribunals and high court but their rivals had appealed to the Supreme Court against these judgments. Dasti faced volley of embarrassing questions on Quranic verses and surahs and mathematics table to prove his credential of a graduate in religious education. He was also unable to answer the period of his education in a religious school. Judges warned him that he would be disqualified for life if the court ruled that he had faked a degree from a religious school. He chose to voluntarily quit the assembly. Nazir Jatt submitted his resignation to the Speaker National Assembly instead of appearing before the Supreme Court to defend his case. | |
| Posted by:Steve White |