LAHORE – Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) inquiry committee has recommended registration of criminal cases against Punjab University (PU) acting Vice-chancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran and controller examination Prof Dr Liaqat Ali for illegally validating the fake degree to son of the known politician. According to the report published by local newspaper, the inquiry committee comprised Admin Deputy Director Ubaidullah and Legal Deputy Director Sohail Zafar. “Vice Chancellor Mujahid Kamran, Prof Dr Liaqat Ali, Ex-Controller, Punjab University Lahore/Dean Faculty of Commerce, Member Special Disciplinary Committee/Author of agenda items for 1706th meeting of Syndicate, Ex-Controller/Now Registrar Punjab University have been found guilty of extending unlawful favour to the accused for getting his degree validated by misusing their authority,” report said. “A case under relevant sections may be registered against them,” the two-member committee observed in its 23-page final report. The report further observed that misuse of authority, concealing facts and helping in fraud had been proved against Government MAO College Lahore Associate Professor Muhammad Saeedul Haq and Gujranwala Peoples Colony Government Degree College lecturer Shoukat Ali and a case under relevant sections might be registered against them. The findings of the inquiry report completed in December 2015 have been submitted to the Punjab additional chief secretary a week back for further perusal of the chief secretary and the chief minister. The inquiry against Mujahid Kamran and the other PU officials was concluded at a time when the chief minister is all set to select new VCs of different universities, including the PU from a panel of three, short-listed for each university. Initially, the case of fake degree landed in the FIA on the Supreme Court’s directives, but citing jurisdiction issues, it transferred the case to the ACE Punjab for further probe. Reacting to the story, the PU spokesman said the administration was not aware of any such findings and recommendations of the ACE inquiry team. However, he said that if such recommendations had been made, then the administration would challenge those because of the mala fide intentions of ACE officials. He claimed that ACE Director General Anwar Rashid wanted his son to be appointed on a teaching post in the varsity but the administration refused to do so. The spokesman said a fake sedition case at the time of appointment in the first tenure was also filed against the VC, adding no any allegation against him had proved true so far. Responding to the allegations, Rashid categorically rejected all the claims and said he had never approached the PU administration for the job of his son. He said his son did apply for a job in PU in 2015, but he never asked for any favour to any official. For the sake of a transparent probe into the matter, he added, he had even left teaching at the varsity when a PU official raised objections.