The ECP during previous years had undertaken a marathon exercise to fix the violators. The process, however, had been sluggish and the decision remained pending though these members had violated the law and hoodwinked the commission.
The Supreme Court, however, in its judgement on April 1, directed the Election Commission to revisit the 27 degree cases which the commission had either cleared or closed on various grounds that were brought to its notice during the hearing.
Accordingly notices were issued to 15 degree holders as three of them had passed away and degrees of nine others were cleared by the Higher Education Commission. After hearing the 15 respondents on April 5-6, the ECP found degrees of 11 members fake or invalid.
These parliamentarians include Ms. Rehana Yahya Baloch (Ex- Senator), Mir Israr Ullah Khan Zehri (Ex-Senator), Mir Mohabat Khan Mari (Ex-Senator), Ms. Samina Khawar Hayat (Ex-MPA), Ms. Seemal Kamran (Ex-MPA), Ms. Shumaila Rana (Ex-MPA), Ms. Shabina Khan (Ex- MPA), Rana Ijaz Ahmed Noon (Ex-MPA), Bashir Ahmad Khan (Ex-MPA), Nawabzada Tariq Magsi (Ex-MPA) and Mir Nadir Magsi (Ex-MPA).
The ECP, in the light of directives of the Supreme Court in the above mentioned judgement, decided to de-notify the stated parliamentarians as well as to initiate criminal proceedings against them in their respective sessions courts.
According to the ECP, in the case of Mukesh Kumar Chawla, Ex-MPA, the earlier decision of the commission was maintained whereas in the case of Ms. Robina Irfan Ex-MPA, the proceedings against her were dropped as the legal counsel of HEC assisted by Syed Asim Hussain, Assistant Director, HEC, had given a written statement during the hearing that her degree was genuine.
The case of Pitanbar Sewani, EX-MPA was partly heard and adjourned for April 11, as the Election Commission summoned full record from the university and the board concerned. The case of Nawabzada Muhammad Akbar Senator was heard and the same was too under consideration as yet.