In a detailed judgment regarding the case of a PhD scholar, Imran Taj, who went to France on a scholarship, the Islamabad High Court expressed concern over the fake guarantee. Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiani issued a 12-page decision in which HEC was directed to further tighten the conditions of the scholarship program.
According to the details, the Islamabad High Court has halted the recovery of 2.5 crore rupees from the guarantor for the scholarship, calling the decision to recover 85,406 euros and 76,386 rupees from Abdul Wahid, the guarantor, void. The court has also instructed HEC to implement reforms in its scholarship policy and issued guidelines.
The court’s ruling stated that Imran Taj had applied for an overseas scholarship on June 2, 2005, for his PhD. An agreement was made with HEC on December 26, 2005, where Taj submitted a guarantee to return to Pakistan and serve for four years after completing the scholarship. However, after finishing the scholarship, Imran Taj did not return to Pakistan as per the agreement and remained in France.
The written judgment noted that Abdul Wahid had submitted property documents as a guarantor, but later declared them fake, claiming he had not signed them. The FIA was instructed to inspect and compare the signatures, and on September 14, 2023, a report was submitted. According to the FIA’s report, there were differences in the signatures, including speed, flow, pen pressure, and hesitation.
The court also observed that the trial court did not attempt to verify the signatures on the documents despite the appellant’s refusal. It noted that Imran Taj submitted fake documents to HEC, which failed to verify them to prevent such fraud. The court stated that HEC has no authority to recover from the guarantor, but it can initiate criminal prosecution against the PhD scholar and the relevant officials. The court also stated that a case should be filed against Imran Taj for using fake documents to obtain the scholarship.
The decision recommended that, to prevent such issues in the future, the federal government should follow these guidelines. The guarantee for scholarships should be registered with the district’s sub-registrar, and to ensure transparency and ease of verification, photographs of the guarantor and witnesses should be included in the guarantee agreement. Additionally, HEC should maintain complete records of the expenses for the education of the scholars, and a dispute resolution unit should be established to handle such matters before they reach court.