Two Pak Ministers, Senators holding fake bachelor's degree

Islamabad, July 11 (ANI): A report of the Pakistan Higher Education Commission (HEC) has revealed that bachelor's degree of 14 parliamentarians, including two federal ministers are 'fake'.

Out of the 14 fake degree holders, four are members of the National Assembly and three others are Senators. Others include three members of the Balochistan Assembly and two members each from the Punjab Assembly and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.

The report also noted that as many as five Member of Parliament (MP), including two federal ministers had obtained degrees from foreign universities, which have been declared as 'non-chartered' universities by the HEC.

The bachelors degree which MNA Mazhar Hayat had obtained from Winona State University, US, has been declared fake by the university itself, The News reports.

The issue of scores of parliamentarians holding fake degrees has attracted massive media coverage infuriating Pakistani lawmakers.

More than 10 percent, nearly 160, of country's federal and provincial legislators are believed to have fake degrees, which they had acquired to fulfil the requirement of holding office.

It is worth mentioning here that former President General Pervez Musharraf had imposed a law in 2002 which required candidates to hold a bachelor's degree or equivalent for a post.

The Supreme Court, however, struck down the requirement in April 2008. (ANI)