Test for Gilani when he meets HEC chairman

Javed rules out resignation as an option

By Ansar Abbasi

DUBAI: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's meeting with Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairman Prof Javed Leghari today (Monday) will show if the country's chief executive will support his key education official for doing his work honestly or would press the HEC chief to look the other way on the issue of verification of fake degrees.

Amid reports that the Sindh government is exerting all sorts of pressures on Javed Leghari's family to prevent him from carrying out the verification of degrees of parliamentarians, the test for the prime minister is how he would support Leghari to continue his job that is crucial for the cleansing of parliament from fraudsters.

Javed Leghari, when approached on Sunday, sounded confident, showing no sign of frustration. He reiterated that he would continue doing his job without any fear and favour. About the possibility of his resignation as desired by the powerful persons in the PPP, he said the resignation was not on the agenda.

About his meeting with Prime Minister Gilani, he said he would brief the premier about the working of the HEC. He said Prime Minister Gilani would also be told about the progress made by the HEC regarding the verification of degrees of members of parliament.

Leghari said all details like the number of degrees of parliamentarians already verified, those whose verification was awaited, the number of universities approached for the job and difficulties being faced by the commission to do the most important job in hand would be shared.

Although, Leghari did not say whether he would raise the issue of his family's persecution at the hands of the Sindh government after he refused to quit or leave the degrees verification job halfway, the prime minister is expected to ask Leghari about this as already hinted by the premier.

The maltreatment being meted out to the commission's chairman has already earned a bad name to the government. Besides others, including those within the PPP, the leading opposition voice Nawaz Sharif has also condemned the persecution of Leghari's family and demanded of the government to let this honest official work freely. Members of the civil society have also started raising their voice in support of the HEC chairman and his family.