PESHAWAR:10 August: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday stayed the order of University of Peshawar on cancellation of Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree of Awami National Party (ANP) lawmaker Atifur Rehman Khalil.
Besides, under the order the lawmaker had been banned for four years and fined Rs21,000.Atifur Rehman Khalil had filed an appeal against the decisions of the subordinate courts, which had dismissed his civil suit against the University of Peshawar (UoP) order.
A single bench of Justice Asadullah Khan Chamkani stayed the order of the UoP and issued notice to university’s controller of examination to explain position in the appeal filed against the order.
On July 11, the court of additional sessions judge had dismissed an appeal of the ANP lawmaker against the UoP order regarding cancellation of his BA degree.Earlier, on May 22, Judicial Magistrate Muhammad Rehan Samad dismissed the civil suit of Atifur Rehman Khalil filed against the UoP for cancellation of his BA degree, four years ban and fine of Rs21,000.
The MPA moved the PHC and got a stay order against the orders of the subordinate courts. Abdul Lateef Afridi appeared for the ANP lawmaker and sought stay against the UoP order. According to the available record in the case, the university had fined the MPA in 2007 after he was found guilty of using unfair means in his BA examination and getting his papers solved through another person.
After receiving a private complaint, the UoP adopted proper procedures for verification of the handwriting of the MPA. It was submitted that the handwriting specimen experts thoroughly examined the MPA’s handwriting with the writing in his BA papers and concluded that the papers had not been attempted by the MPA.
It said that after the experts’ report, the UoP cancelled the MPA’s BA degree and imposed four years ban on him and a fine of Rs21,000.Atifur Rehman Khalil then challenged the UoP order in the court of judicial magistrate. The civil court in 2007 stayed the UoP order about the cancellation of BA degree and directed the university to issue him provisional degree till a final decision of the court. He contested the February 12, 2008 general election from PK-5 Peshawar constituency on the ANP ticket and won. His case has been pending since 2007 in the civil court.The news.