KARACHI: The University of Karachi (KU) syndicate on Saturday annulled the degree and enrollment of a candidate, reportedly a high court judge, following recommendations from its Unfair Means (UFM) Committee, university officials confirmed.
The decision came shortly after the controversial detention of Dr. Riaz Ahmed, an academic and syndicate member, by the police. Dr. Riaz, an associate professor at KU’s Department of Applied Chemistry, was taken into custody in what appeared to be an effort to prevent him from attending the critical meeting. He was released later in the evening after the syndicate moved to cancel the degree in question.
Speaking to rights activists and media representatives after his release, Dr. Riaz alleged in a video statement that the degree matter involved Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri of the Islamabad High Court. However, this claim could not be independently verified as neither KU Vice-Chancellor Dr. Khalid Iraqi nor other university officials were immediately available for comment.
Controversial Meeting and Degree Cancellation
Dr. Riaz claimed he had already raised objections to the agenda item related to the judge’s law degree, which dated back 40 years. He alleged that he was picked up by police from Tipu Sultan Road around 1 p.m., while on his way to attend the meeting at KU.
The meeting proceeded without Dr. Riaz, during which the syndicate approved the cancellation of the degree among other decisions. According to a KU press release, the members endorsed the recommendations of the UFM Committee, which proposed the cancellation of the degree and enrollment cards of the candidate(s) involved in “unethical and immoral acts.” However, the press release did not mention any specific names.
Two months earlier, a letter circulating on social media, purportedly from KU’s controller of examinations, had raised questions regarding Justice Jahangiri’s law degree. The letter was reportedly a response to an inquiry under the Sindh Transparency Right to Information Act, 2016, revealing discrepancies in enrollment numbers and names associated with the degree. The letter did not label the degree as fraudulent but termed it invalid, as the university’s policy does not permit two enrollment numbers for a single degree program.
Justice Jahangiri is one of six judges who previously complained to the Supreme Judicial Council about the chief justice and accused the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of interfering in judicial matters. The complaint also included allegations regarding spy cameras discovered at a judge’s residence.
Detention and Release of Dr. Riaz Ahmed
Dr. Riaz claimed he was detained by police from Tipu Sultan Road while en route to KU around 1 p.m. He was initially taken to the Jamshed Quarters police station, then transferred to the Bahadurabad police station, where his wife, Sophia, met him at 6 p.m. Despite assurances of his release, he was subsequently moved to the Brigade police station. Dr. Riaz was eventually released after eight hours of what he described as “illegal” detention.
