The University of Karachi’s syndicate, on Saturday, revoked the degree and enrollment of a candidate, reportedly a high court judge, following the recommendation of its Unfair Means (UFM) Committee, according to university officials.
The decision to cancel the degree was made shortly after the detention of Dr. Riaz Ahmed, a syndicate member and associate professor in the department of applied chemistry.
Dr. Riaz was picked up by police in what seemed to be an attempt to prevent him from attending the crucial meeting. He was released later in the evening, following the syndicate’s decision to revoke the degree.
After his release, Dr. Riaz Ahmed spoke to rights activists and some members of the media, claiming in a video statement that the degree issue involved Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri of the Islamabad High Court.
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However, this claim could not be independently verified as neither KU Vice Chancellor Dr. Khalid Iraqi nor other university officials have made any statement.
Dr. Riaz stated that he had raised objections regarding an agenda item related to the judge’s law degree case, which had been pending for 40 years. He alleged that he was picked up from Tipu Sultan Road around 1 p.m. while en route to the university for the syndicate meeting.
Later, the syndicate meeting proceeded without Dr. Riaz, and among other decisions, it approved the cancellation of the degree.
A KU press release stated that the syndicate endorsed the KU Unfair Means (UFM) Committee’s recommendations, which proposed the cancellation of the degree and enrollment cards for candidates involved in unethical and immoral conduct. The release did not specify the name of the candidate.
