Islamabad: A guarantee submitted by a Pakistani PhD scholar, who was to study in France on a scholarship, has been exposed as fake.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) presented a report to the Islamabad High Court (IHC), revealing discrepancies in signatures through scientific examination.
Following the report, the court directed the Higher Education Commission (HEC) not to recover Rs25 million from Abdul Waheed, the appointed guarantor for the scholarship.
The IHC stated that the HEC can file a case and initiate criminal proceedings against the PhD scholar Imran Taj and the officials involved.
The FIA’s report disclosed that the questioned signatures lacked fluency and showed hesitation, differing in pen pressure and being slow-drawn compared to Abdul Waheed’s authentic signature samples.
The court further instructed the HEC to enforce strict conditions on scholarship programs, reform its policy, and issue guidelines to prevent such incidents.
A 12-page judgment by IHC Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani nullified a civil court’s verdict allowing HEC to recover €85,406 and Rs76,386 from the guarantor, Abdul Waheed.
The judgment noted that Taj had signed an agreement with HEC to serve in Pakistan for four years after completing his education but violated the terms.
He submitted Waheed’s property documents as a guarantor, but Waheed denied signing them. Upon examination, the documents were found to be fake.
The IHC criticized the trial court for not verifying the signatures despite the appellant’s objection. It clarified that HEC has no authority to recover the amount from the guarantor.
The court also advised HEC to take strict actions against Taj and the relevant officials and laid out recommendations to avoid such incidents in the future.
