HEC distances itself from dispute as University of Karachi cites 1989 ban, falsified forms and irregular registration numbers
Judge Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri. Photo courtesy: IHC
The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has submitted its report to the Islamabad High Court on the degree controversy involving Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, with the detailed response of the University of Karachi attached to the file.
According to the HEC report, the commission has no role in the administrative affairs of universities and the current petition is entirely an internal university matter. He said universities and their accredited bodies are solely responsible for awarding degrees and HEC is not involved in this process.
The commission informed the court that Justice Jehangiri’s diploma was never presented to the HEC for verification and no such application is pending. HEC does not issue or approve diplomas and cannot verify a diploma which is not recognized by the university or higher education establishment concerned. The commission added that it had no connection with the facts or circumstances of this case.
Response from the University of Karachi
In its submission, the University of Karachi outlined the reasons behind the cancellation of Justice Jehangiri’s degree.
The university said that in 1989 the Unfair Means Committee imposed a three-year ban on Tariq Mehmood after finding him guilty of cheating and threatening an examiner. Under the 1989 decision, he could retake the exams in 1992.
Karachi University said the student used a fake 1990 registration form to obtain a degree despite the ban. The form bore a fake stamp of Government Islamia College.
The response added that registration number 5968/87, which appears on Justice Jehangiri’s diploma, was initially issued to a student named Imtiaz Ahmed. He further noted that he had obtained another registration number, 7184/87, for LLB Part II in 1990, through a forgery. Several registration numbers and altered names were used to obtain mark sheets and diploma.
Karachi University told the court that a citizen, Irfan Mazhar, applied for verification of his degree on May 23, 2024. The university re-checked both registration numbers and the controller of examinations declared double registration impossible, terming the diploma and mark sheets invalid.
The university said the registrar of the Islamabad High Court sent an email on July 5, 2024 seeking confirmation of the controller’s findings. In response, the university verified the letter declaring the diploma invalid. The director of Islamia College also confirmed that Tariq Mehmood was never enrolled in this establishment between 1984 and 1991.
