ISLAMABAD: Federal Law Minister Babar Awan may face more legal trouble as the Election Commission of Pakistan has confirmed that nomination forms filed by any candidate must include attested photocopies of all mentioned documents and not doing so is a violation of law. Mr Awan has not done so.

Babar Awan while applying to contest the 2006 Senate elections has written his name as “Dr Zaheer Uddin Babar Awan” in nomination papers and had written his qualification as PhD from “Monty Cello (Monticello) University, USA”, in column No 5 of the nomination papers.

Column No 6 requires occupation; column No 7 requires NIC number while column No 8 requires National Tax number. It is prominently written against columns No 5 to 8 to annex attested copies of the documents. However, Babar Awan has written his qualification as PhD but annexed the photocopies of only his Matriculation and Inter certificates and BA and LLB degrees and did not attach the attested photocopy of the his PhD degree.

Officials confirmed to The News that though it is established that Babar Awan by not annexing the photocopy of his PhD degree has violated the law. His doctoral degree will also be scrutinized and if Higher Education Commission declares it as fake. (Source: The News)

Pakistani Talk Show Views on News by Dr. Shahid Masood discusses the Fake Degrees Syndrome among Pakistani politicians and the ongoing fake degrees issue and the scam surrounding it. What are its implications when some parliamentarians holding invalid degrees are de-seated. Will they be booked for fraud and felony? Will the Supreme Court ask the army chief to implement all its orders? Guests: Iftikhar Gillani (Former Law Minister), Orya Maqbool Jan (Columnist), Habib Wahab ul Khairi (Al Jihad Trust), Akram Sheikh (SC Lawyer), Dr A H Nayyar (LUMS)..

Pakistani Talk Show Capital Talk with Hamid Mir discusses Issue of Fake Degrees and its ramifications in present and guture politics. Also, Punjab Assembly now passes media-friendly resolution. Should Sanaullah Mastikhel of PML-N be rusticated? Guests: Makhdoom Javed Ahmed Hashmi (PML-N), Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah (PPP), Nazeer Naji (Columnist)..

Pakistani Talk Show Kal Tak with Javed Chaudhry discuss Napoleon Bonaparte’s views on media. 29 fake degrees have been unearthed so far. Should these parliamentarians be asked for restitution? 161 more degrees remain unverified for lack of proof. Guests: Asma Arbab Alamgir (PPP), Hanif Abbasi (PML-N), Jamal Leghari (PML-Q)..

ISLAMABAD: Federal Law Minister Babar Awan and close aide of President Asif ali Zardari has predicted that the post of Prime Minister will stay with the PPP in the future.

Mr Awan also claimed that Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will be nominated as prime minister in the next general elections. He said this while addressing the Gujranwala Bar Association on Monday.

The law minister said that talks of mid term elections are against the constitution. He added that those who gave tickets to fake degree holders are now the ones talking of mid-term elections.

Awan contended that PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif’s presence in the parliament would promote a stronger democracy and advised the former prime minister to contest elections.

A MUST WATCH: Pakistani Talk Show Tonight With Najam Sethi carries exclusive interview of Dr Babar Awan, Law Minister in PPP-led government. Awan discusses why letter can’t be written on Swiss cases, why only Zardari cases are filed in Punjab. Awan says fake degrees issue is part of a great game, etc. Says: “I’m a cool man…I’m a calm person”

Pakistani Talk Show Kal Tak with Javed Chaudhry discusses issue of fake degrees, fake degrees probe, and high moral ground. Punjab Assembly refuses to withdraw its resolution against the media – both print and electronic. Guests: Makhdoom Javaid Hashmi (PML-N), Sheikh Rashid Ahmad (AML), Muhammad Ali Durrani (PML-Q)..

Pakistan Talk Show Off The Record with Kashif Abbasi discusses Punjab Assembly unanimously passes resolution against the print and electronic media on issues which make the politicians look bad like fake degrees, corruption, misuse of power, etc. Guests: Muhammad Malik (The News), Mazhar Abbas (Anchor), Afzal Butt (NPC), Ali Haidar Noor Khan Niazi (MMA MPA in PA)..

Pakistani Talk Show In Session with Asma Chaudhry discusses Punjab Assembly’s unanimous resolution condemning the media – both electronic and print – on criticizing politicians and highlighting the fake degrees scam that seems to have affected all the major political parties – PPP, PML-N and PML-Q including JUI-F. Guests: Sanaullah Mastikhel (PML-N), Taha Hussain (Dunya News), Mazhar Abbas (Do Tok), Mehar Bukhari (SAMAA)..

ISLAMABAD: The list of politicians holding fake degrees in Pakistan keeps expanding daily. Fourteen more legislators have been found holding invalid degrees as of today.

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has also forwarded the report to National assembly’s committee on fake degrees.

The HEC formally today declared 14 National and Provincial assembly member’s degrees as invalid.

According to a report, four members of national assembly, three senators and seven provincial assembly’s members are holding fake degrees.

The parliamentarians possessing fake degrees include members of Balochistan assembly Shama Parveen Magsi and Rubina Zafar Zehri, Federal Minister Livestock Mir Humayun Aziz Kurd and Federal Minister postal services Israrullah Khan Zehri.

PML-N’s national assembly member Mazhar Hayat’s degree has also been declared invalid by the American University, reported Dawn.

Legislatures whose degrees have been declared fake by the universities include members’ National assembly Syed Muhammad Sulaiman Mohsin, Punjab assembly’s member Waseem Afzal Gondal, Sameena Khawar Hayat and senator Nawabzada Muhammad Akbar.

Those holding degrees from unregistered religious institutes include members of Balochistan assembly Abdul Samad, Khyber Pakhtunkhuwa assembly Abdul Qayyum Khan and Gulistan Khan, National assembly’s member Syed Jawed Hussain, and Senator Wali Muhammad Badini.