IHC validates HEC decision not to attest Al-Khair University degrees

Islamabad High Court Monday validated the Higher Education Commission decision not to recognise the degrees of students of Al-Khair University and dismissed the inter-court appeals of Al-Khair University, affiliated colleges and students for recognition of degrees.

A bench comprising Justice Ghulam Qambrani and Justice Umar Farooq of Islamabad High Court issued a detailed judgment stating the reasons for rejecting and disposing of the appeal that the court does not have the right to issue orders to the regulator to accept degrees of an institute.

According to the judgement, the HEC made a policy to take a test of the students and attest the degrees of only those students who achieved 50% or more marks in the test and the students will have to follow the policy of passing the test to get the degrees recognized and certified by HEC.

Moreover, the court has asked HEC to reconsider the status of MS, MPhil and PhD Degrees and has suspended HEC's letter from May 8, 2012, to September 30, 2015.

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) is the regulatory body for higher education in Pakistan and Azad Kashmir. The court has also directed that colleges that play with the future of students are also involved in this negligence and the decision will affect many students, but the decision cannot be changed on these grounds.