“The institute (American Institute of London) does not exist in America and Britain,” the HEC replied to the court’s query about the institute’s status, exposing Tauqir Sadiq’s degree as bogus.
The IHC had sought report from the HEC about the status of American Institute of London (from where Tauqir Sadiq got his degree) three days ago during hearing of the petition challenging his (Tauqir Sadiq) LLM degree by union members.
A spokesperson for the HEC said the court had just enquired about the status of the institution in England or America, hence the commission simply sent their reply about status of the institution. When contacted, Tauqir Sadiq said his degree was genuine and the information sent to the commission about the institution by the court was not correct, as he had got his degree from American University in England.
He said he had done LLB from the Punjab University and has the experience of 20 years on his credit in the relevant field and he is fully eligible for this seat. He is brother-in-Law of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Punjab Secretary General Jehangir Badr.
The National Assembly Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Resources also expressed serious concerns over his appointment as the Ogra chief without required experience and qualification in relevant field.
Tauqir Sadiq’s appointment as the Ogra chairman has stoked controversies. After becoming Ogra chief, he developed differences with Ogra officials.
First time, controversy surfaces when he delegated powers to Member Finance Kamal Mari and made former member oil Dr Illyas Fazil and member gas Hadi Hasnan dysfunctional who had opposed the decision to relocate site of the CNG station owned by PML-Q parliamentarian.
Dr Illyas Fazil and Hadi Hasnan resigned in August last.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has approved the appointment of Tauqir Sadiq as Ogra chairman and issued a notification about his appointment for a four-year term
