For Pak Education Minister, MNA's holding fake degrees is a "small mistake"

Islamabad, July 2 (ANI): Pakistan Education Minister Sardar Aseff Ahmed Ali does not attach much importance to the issue of scores of Members of National Assembly (MNA) having fake degrees, as he believes that possessing the same should not disqualify elected people's representatives.

Ali described MNA's possessing fake degrees as a 'small' issue and said it should not be made a criteria for sending back elected public representatives.

"The compensation of some crime should be equal to the nature of that crime and same applies to the case of fake degrees where the public representatives should not be sent back home merely on the basis of this small mistake," The News quoted Ali, as saying.

Meanwhile, Advisor to Prime Minister on Social Sector Shahnaz Wazir Ali has rejected reports of there being any government pressure on the Higher Education Commission (HEC) over the issue.

"HEC was doing its job in a transparent way while facing no pressure or hurdle from government side," Ali said.

She said that HEC was already having a mechanism for the verification of degrees and it is doing its job perfectly for the last many years.

"There is no special treatment with the degrees of MPAs and MNAs," Ali said.

However, in the wake of wide scale criticism and mounting pressure over the issue, the government is reportedly preparing a bill to bail out fake degree-holders.

According to sources, the government's legal eagles led by Law Minister Babar Awan are currently engaged in taking into confidence its allied parties, as well as the PML-Q over the proposed bill.

"The political ground work is almost complete and the bill has also been drafted. It would be presented in the upcoming session of the National Assembly," sources privy to the development said. (ANI)