Excelling in fake degrees since 1995

[Admin Khan]

ISLAMABAD: Amid the intense discourse on the authenticity of public representatives’ degrees, and a nation-wide verification procedure launched to this effect, The Express Tribune has learnt of a ghost educational institute has been awarding fake degrees for past 15 years in the heart of the federal capital.

Despite having never applied for mandatory affiliation with the Higher Education Commission (HEC), the Skill Development Council (SDC) or the National Training Bureau (NTB), the Modern Institute of Informatics and Management (MIIM) has been awarding educational degrees – post graduates diplomas and all kinds of technical diplomas – at the national as well as international level since 1995.

Interviews with the authorities concerned, as well as documents obtained by The Express Tribune, have confirmed this racket – the victims of which were suffering locally as well as overseas.

The SDC’s chief executive officer, Muhammad Riaz, confirmed to The Express Tribune that the MIIM has never been registered with his body, which works under the ministry of labour and manpower.

The MIIM has for years swindled thousands of students not only in Pakistan but also abroad using the name of the SDC, said Riaz, adding that, in this regard, the SDC had written to the NTB last month. “The institute also is using the name of Ali Nadeem, who was sacked by the ministry of labour and manpower for his alleged involvement in fake degree scandals with MIIM last year,” Riaz revealed.

The Director General NTB, Razia Zuberi, when contacted, said that the bureau has approached the Lahore High Court Rawalpindi Bench against MIIM as it has been awarding fake degrees and misusing the name of NTB for years now.

“Thousands of diplomas have been found forged, and the [number of] diploma holders pursuing their cases with the NTB is rising day by day,” Zuberi said and adding, “MIIM never fulfilled the criteria set by the NTB.”

Chairman SDC, Lahore, Mian Tajammal Hussain dismissed the council’s CEO for the city, Syed Seerat Mehdi, and a senior official, Ali Nadeem, who were both allegedly found involved in distributing fake degrees to hundreds of students. Last month, Tajammal sent the MIIM case to NTB Islamabad, she explained.

At the moment, the MIIM administration has reportedly obtained a stay on proceedings against it from the High Court, and notices have been issued to the NTB and Ministry of Labour and Manpower, she said.

Meanwhile, HEC Executive Director Dr Sohail Naqvi said that some cases from the UAE had also come into the notice of the HEC as of last month when some students sought the verification of their educational certificates with the HEC. These degrees were issued by the MIIM in Pakistan, he stated.

“Such institutes have never been registered with HEC,” Naqvi said, adding that, because of such operations, those bodies they claim to be affiliated with were also defamed.

Aamir Muhammad, who is working on the issue for the welfare of the Pakistani community in the UAE, told The Express Tribune that the degrees earned from MIIM were not being recognised in UAE.

“I myself wrote many times to Chairman, MIIM, K.M Zahid, to point out the issue being faced by the students, but he never replied,” he explained.

When approached by The Express Tribune, Federal Minister for Education, Sardar Assef Ahmed Ali said that “[the government] will take action against such institutes in accordance with the law.”

The media should expose all institutes issuing fake degrees and those behind such operations, he said.

Meanwhile, federal secretary for Education, Imtiaz Qazi, when approached, said that, “The main objective of these institutes is to swindle the students and mar their future.” Director MIIM Zeeshan Zahid neither confirmed nor denied the charges facing his institute, saying that the matter is now in the court. “I will not comment on the issue further,” he replied when contacted.

Literature available with The Express Tribune states that the MIIM has branches in Karachi, Multan, Faisalabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Rawalpindi – all of which provide ‘degrees’.

The website of the MIIM states that institute is awarding the degrees in affiliation with the Directorate of Higher Education in Peshawar. However, Director of HEC in Peshawar Farmanullah Anjum told The Express Tribune that the MIIM had never been registered with them.

Meanwhile, in a letter obtained by The Express Tribune, the MIIM had actually requested the Chairman of the Sports Sciences and Physical Education Department of Gomal University Dera Ismail Khan to compare the institute’s syllabus and issue an equality certification, Vide Ref No 143 DSSPU/GU DI Khan Dated: 22-1-2010.

A senior official of the university on condition of anonymity said that the university never replied to the institute because it has no affiliation with the university. “MIIM was misusing the university’s name; the Registrar of the university will soon knock on the door of the court,” he added. The Registrar of Gomal University, DI Khan, Muhammad Jan Khan, and Director Academics of the university Fareedullah Khan confirmed that the MIIM has never been affiliated with the university, also saying that they would take the matter to the court.

Interviews with the authorities concerned, as well as the documents obtained by The Express Tribune, have confirmed this racket – the victims of which are suffering locally as well as overseas.


Excelling in fake degrees since 1995 – The Express Tribune

[Dervaish]

This institute MIIM should be awarded Nobel Prize in Fake Educational Degrees.
How many members of Parliament in Islamabad, have graduated from this respected INSTITUTE?

[Nick]

This institute MIIM should be awarded Nobel Prize in Fake Educational Degrees.
How many members of Parliament in Islamabad, have graduated from this respected INSTITUTE?

Pakistan has always printed fake news press learning from Iran. However Pakistan unlike Iran which focus only on educational Books and abusing international copyright always printed bogus claims and everything for themselves. Fake degree I think this was also practiced by Afghan embassy from 1992-1999. I still laugh sometimes when I remembered hundreds of Tajikistanis standing on line to apply for Afghan passport with bribe of starting from $50 up to $200 so that they can apply to gain refugee or immigration application from embassy of New Zealand, USA, Germany, Canada, UK and Australia. Now we understood this since there was no Government during those time degrees and high school diplomas were offered for those needed to attend in Universities in Moscow for example, but these things have been coming from pakistan that long? Where was government to investigate?

[Toramana]

In Pakistan, those entities that are not registered with HEC or a registered educational institutions are looked at with suspicsion even if technically/qualitatively sound. Sometimes, politics and inter-institution rivalary also plays a role. Even registration doesn't guarantee quality. However, it is kind of a check on instutions to meet minimum standards (staff, lab, building, library, etc.) in order to operate.

Moreover, every university or boad has an area of jurisdiction in which all the private instutition try to get registered with that board or university. People avoid institutions that are not registered (with un-recognised degrees/certificates). Whenever, an institution applies to a university for affiliation, there is an affiliation committee of the university that visits the institution and decides whether it has sufficient facilities to be registered/recognized. Such private institutions are called affiliate institutions. Govt sector institutions are by default affiliated with the university in the area of jurisdiction of which it falls e.g. AWK university has list of private as well as public sector colleges registered with it on its website.

http://www.awkum.edu.pk/index.php?op...119&Itemid=935
http://www.awkum.edu.pk/index.php?op...120&Itemid=933

[Nick]

Image of a Trinity College Degree sample and Dr Aamir's (Below left) Bachelor's degree







KARACHI, March 9: He is the most high profile Parliamentarian of Altaf Hussain’s Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and is also projecting himself as Altaf Bhai’s successor, should something happen to the MQM leader in London.

He is the blue-eyed boy of General Pervez Musharraf as the General telephones him after hearing his dramatic preachings on the TV. He is the most versatile preacher of Islamic values and morals on home TV screens round the clock. He is a prolific speaker and a successful fund-raiser for charities. He is a junior Minister for Religious Affairs in the huge cabinet of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.

But in addition to all these qualifications, young, dapper and the stylish member of the National Assembly from Karachi, "Dr." Aamir Liaquat Hussain, is a fake and a fraud.

In a stunning investigation by Karachi Urdu Daily “Ummat” it has been documented and proved that Dr Aamir purchased fake University degrees to contest the 2002 general election, forced the Karachi University officials to authenticate these degrees in a single day and prevented any investigations by the newspaper to dig deep into the unavailable records at the University.

The newspaper, however, persisted with the three-month long probe and was able to obtain the copies of the “University” degrees Dr Aamir used to make himself eligible to contest the election for a National Assembly seat on the MQM ticket from Karachi. He won because of the party ticket and when MQM joined the Musharraf coalition, he was made a junior Minister of Religious Affairs in the cabinet.





But his fame came from his TV show on GEO TV "Aalim Online" a religious program in which viewers phone in their questions on Islamic issues and he invites two prominent Islamic scholars every week to answer these personal and social questions. He also hosts other religious programs and General Musharraf and his wife Sehba are so fond of his style of preaching and reciting “Hamds and Naats”, specially during the month of Ramazan, that two years ago Sehba Musharraf called him instantly and told him General Musharraf was crying as he listened to his voice on TV.

Dr Aamir did not have a graduate degree in 2002 and according to the investigation he approached a web site in Spain, The Trinity College & University, which boasts about providing Bachelors, Masters or even Doctorate degrees, without attending any class or college. “Everything by Email” the web site of the College says right on top with the big slogan: “Get your degree today.” Click to View Web site

Dr Aamir bought his “Bachelor of Arts in Islamic Studies” degree (Serial No: P-2002227 Dated March 17, 1995), got his “Master of Arts in Islamic Studies” degree (No: P-2002341 Dated March 15, 2002) and his “Doctor of Philosophy in Islamic Studies” degree (No: P-2002528 Dated April 5, 2002). In what may be a world record worthy of the Guinness Book of Records. He got his Doctorate in just three weeks after his Master's degree, if the documents are to be believed.

Daily Ummat contacted the Karachi University authorities to find out how these web site Email degrees were authenticated in a single day, in writing, by the then Registrar of Karachi University, Prof. NM Aqil Burney. The Registrar received the application from Dr Aamir on August 24, 2002, days before filing of his nomination papers for the NA election and authenticated his degrees though this letter No PA/2002 Dated August 24, 2002. Click to View the Registrar’s letter of authentication

Prof. Aqil, however, did leave some elbow room by stating in his letter that the authentication was “provisional” and the final decision would be conveyed to the applicant in due course of time. That decision was neither needed nor taken nor conveyed to anyone as Dr Aamir had used the provisional certificate to get himself elected to the Parliament and the matter was forgotten.

When the newspaper contacted Prof Aqil later to ask how he could issue the authentication without referring the documents to the Karachi University’s Equivalence Committee, he admitted that Dr Aamir had come to him with degrees from some Spanish University and since these were not degrees issues by his University, he authenticated them on the spot. His answer was unconvincing to say the least. Prof Aqil kept no record of these degrees and when the newspaper contacted the current Registrar to verify whether any such record was kept, no one could trace the file, as none existed.

When the newspaper contacted the Higher Education Commission in Islamabad, the official authority on the matter, to verify whether the Trinity College & University of Spain, which issued the degrees to Dr Aamir, was a recognized institution by Pakistan, Director General Mohammed Javed Khan informed the newspaper vide a letter Dated February 23, 2005 that the Trinity College was not recognized. The letter confirmed the forgery of Dr Aamir and abetment in the forgery by Prof Aqil to facilitate his candidacy in the election. Click to view DG’s letter

Daily Ummat also obtained copies of the degrees Dr Aamir presented to the Election Commission and during the investigation found that the Trinity College had placed exactly similar samples on its web site, offered the same day for a price. (see images above)

The investigation leaves Dr Aamir Liaquat Hussain, MQM Chief Altaf Hussain and General Pervez Musharraf in an embarrassing political dilemma. Musharraf has been promoting Dr Aamir as the heir apparent of Altaf Hussain himself and the way his curve was rising was creating serious apprehensions within the MQM circles as well.

For Musharraf it would be a triple disaster in just a few weeks as Dr Aamir would be the third cabinet minister who has been caught literally with his pants down in the middle of the road.

His supporter, PPP rebel and currently a minister, Faisal Saleh Hayat, has already been asked by the Prime Minister to resign as his bail application was cancelled by the Supreme Court and National Accountability Bureau has to arrest him for unpaid loans. Many other candidates in the 2002 elections were disqualified because they were defaulters of loans but not Faisal.

Interestingly just before the Supreme Court decision to cancel his bail, Faisal Saleh Hayat slipped out of the country and is now residing in London, considering his options whether to return to Pakistan and land in a jail or stay away.

Another serious embarrassment for Musharraf has been the Health Minister in the Punjab Cabinet, Dr Tahir Javed who absconded from Nebraska after causing the worst Hepatitis C outbreak in US history and who had forced his insurance company and the State of Nebraska to pay millions of dollars to his victims who sued him.

Now the show boy of Musharraf, Dr Aamir Liaquat Hussain is in the dock. Scores of seasoned politicians, including former minister Syeda Abida Hussain of Jhang, were either disqualified or did not contest the 2002 polls because they did not have graduate degrees. Now we find that some of those who did, committed a fraud with the law and the people.

The biggest embarrassment would, however, be for his GEO TV channel because he hosts a program which is supposed to teach moral values to its viewers. The host has now proved to be an immoral person himself.

By M A Siddiqui

[BarakzaiAbdali]

Perfect example of what a nonmeritocratic government leads to ---> Pakistan. Per my readings, when the British left the subcontinent they left their Karzai equivalents (Sherpao, the various Khattaks, the various Arbab Khalils, etc) in power and some of these folks were oligarchs and some of them were artificially created oligarchs to keep a clamp on the region. The Americans have created much of the same by bringing back all the trash that ran away and left their people high and dry to face the Russian juggernaut... who when these poor people won, beat their chest and told their European and American compatriots that they were the "brave Afghans," taking credit for the loss inflicted on the Russians by the Afghan people. Now, when they find themselves in the morally untenable position of backing a new occupier they are singing a new tune: "Najib was a patriot... it was not our war to fight..."

Some folks here sing the swan song about how "our brothers need to embrace peeeeace." What this insinuation of these brave people being "not peaceful" translates to is a brazen and insulting attempt to malign any Afghan boy (or girl) who decides that he will overturn the imposed order that will one day lead to the Pakistani experience being recreated right next door to Pakistan, on Afghan land.

The difference between the Qaid and Karzai is like the difference between a ring finger and a pinkey (barely any at all).

There is peace and then there is sacrifice. To these folks, when a bully is beating up your son tomorrow, please do tell him to: 1) Lay down 2) move his hands away from his face 3) Allow said bully to pulverize his face and 3) apologize to the bully.

[BarakzaiAbdali]

a fake degree is better than no degree

No its not.

[BarakzaiAbdali]

I see Azmal is back. Hows it going Azzy? Any luck finding out who those two great great great grandmothers of yours were? You know the Lahori that produced the Zikria lineage with incompetent Telai? Or that supposed Yusufzai slave that somehow does exist in the list of Rahman's wives? LOOOooool. Any luck with the mules lately?

[emkhan]

Or that supposed Yusufzai slave that somehow does exist in the list of Rahman's wives? LOOOooool. Any luck with the mules lately?

What are you saying Brother about Yousafzais ?

[BarakzaiAbdali]

What are you saying Brother about Yousafzais ?

Nothing brother, I was defending them. This jerk said once that Rahman Khan took a Yusufzai slave for a concubine. I said there was no proof for this. Then he said that the Telai Sardar took a Safi tribal girl as a slave.

[emkhan]

Nothing brother, I was defending them. This jerk said once that Rahman Khan took a Yusufzai slave for a concubine. I said there was no proof for this. Then he said that the Telai Sardar took a Safi tribal girl as a slave.

Hmmm OK brother. Thanks