Fake degree axe falls on Ayla Malik - thenews.com.pk
ISLAMABAD: As PTI MNA Ghulam Sarwar Khan has his membership already suspended because of a fake degree, Ayla Malik who was fielded to contest by-elections on the seat vacated by Imran Khan has failed to pass the scrutiny of her educational credentials, jeopardising her candidature.
The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE), Rawalpindi, has declared her intermediate certificate ‘bogus’ that carries the roll number of a male candidate who too had failed, a spokesman of BISE confirmed to The News.
Ayla, younger sister of PML-N MNA Sumera Malik and scion of influential political family of Mianawali, has been fielded as PTI candidate for by-election from NA-71 after the party chairman Imran Khan vacated the seat, keeping his Rawalpindi seat.
Ayla was not available for comments and PTI spokesperson, Dr Shireen Mazari, said she was not aware of the latest development. According to the BISE spokesman, a letter has been sent to the Secretary Education Punjab following a query referred by him inquiring about Ayla’s intermediate result that has been challenged by her rival and Imran’s cousin, Inamullah Khan Niazi.
Obaidullah Shadikhel, a PML-N candidate contesting against her, has separately challenged her graduation from Russia. A copy of the BISE letter obtained by The News reads: “It is informed that intermediate certificate under roll number 530561 annual examinations 1989 in respect of Ayla Malik D/O of Malik Allah Yar Khan is BOGUS and not issued by this Board.” Instead, this roll number was allotted to Imdad Hussain, the letter reads, who was also declared failed.
This forgery on part of Ayla has raised many eye-brows. Generally, the documents are forged with those having similar father’s name, same sex and turn out to be successful in the examination. But in the Ayla’s case, even sex doesn’t match as she has been caught blatantly lying by using the roll number of a male candidate and the one who could not pass the examination.
Although there is no educational bar for contesting the general elections, Ayla Malik in her nomination papers declared holding graduation from Russia and also deposited her matriculation and intermediate certificate to the Election Commission of Pakistan. Intriguingly, she had served as MNA from 2002-2007 on the reserve seats using the same educational credentials when graduation degree had been made mandatory for contesting elections. As the BISE declares her intermediate certificate bogus, any retrospective action could land her in serious trouble amid the likelihood of that the court may direct recovering the salary she had been receiving as MNA besides availing other perks and privileges.
It has been learnt that Inamullah Niazi and Obaidullah Shadikhel are expected to challenge Ayla Malik’s education credentials before the election tribunal today as the objections filed in this respect before the returning officer has been rejected. In his decision handed down by the returning officer, additional session judge Malik Shabbir Ahmed, said that there was no complaint filed by the BISE. If the certificate is bogus, the petitioner should approach the BISE for legal action. “At this stage, on the photo copies and at the time of scrutiny of nomination papers, no order can be passed for registration of criminal case, hence this petition is dismissed,” said the order that was in contrast to the Supreme Court directives asking the returning officers to verify credentials from the concerned educational establishments in case of objection raised about their validity. Now as the BISE has officially recognised her certificate as bogus, she is likely to be replaced with another candidate by the PTI.