PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday sought comments from the University of Peshawar`s vice chancellor and other respondents in an amended petition filed by PTI MNA Murad Saeed against cancellation of his controversial degree of BS Environmental Science by the university.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice Irshad Qaisar issued the order after preliminary arguments advanced by Murad`s lawyer, who contended that the University of Peshawar (UoP) had unilaterally cancelled his degree on recommendation of a committee formed by the vice chancellor.

Lawyer Aamir Jawed said a make-up test of two papers was arranged for the petitioner in accordance with relevant procedure and he had cleared those papers. However, he added that instead of issuing him the degree the vice chancellor constituted a threemember committee which, without hearing the petitioner, recommended that his degree and make-up papers should be cancelled.

The counsel stated that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief secretary had also set up a three-member committee for probing the whole controversy and the report of the said committee would be issued in next few days.

The controversy regarding Mr Murad`s degree emerged inMarchwhenitwasreported in the media that arrangements were made post haste for him to make up for his two papers Introduction to Environmental Sciences and Remote Sensing under dubious circumstances. The papers were allegedly marl
Following emergence of the controversy the UoP`s vice chancellor had constituted a threemember committee for probing the issue.

The said committee had recommended cancellation of make-up papers as the entire procedure adopted for conducting the papers.-Bureau