PhD student's scholarship guarantee for France turns out to be fake

A guarantee submitted by a Pakistani PhD scholar, who was going to France on a scholarship, turned out to be fake. 

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) submitted a report to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) after finding discrepancy in the signature via a scientific examination. 

Following the report, the court ordered the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to not recover Rs25 million from the guarantor who had been appointed for getting a scholarship. 

The IHC said the HEC can register a case and initiate criminal proceedings against the PhD scholar Imran Taj as well as the officials who were involved in the matter. 

According to the FIA's report, the scientific examination of the documents revealed that the questioned signatures "do not tally in characteristics such as fluency, hesitation, pen pressure and slow drawn with respect to the provided corresponding specimen and routine signatures of Abdul Waheed".

Moreover, the court also ordered the commission to impose strict conditions on the scholarship program in the future, directing it to reform its scholarship policy and issued guidelines.

A 12-page judgment issued by IHC Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani declared null and void the judgment of the recovery suit filed by the civil judge Islamabad in favour of HEC to recover €85,406 and Rs76,386 Abdul Waheed — the guarantor. 

According to the judgement, Taj had signed an agreement with HEC after applying for scholarship that would serve in Pakistan for four years after the completion but he violated it. 

He had submitted Waheed's property documents as a guarantor, however, Waheed revealed that they were fake as he did not sign them. Following the examination of the documents, they turned out to be fake.

The IHC said that the trial court did not attempt to verify the signatures despite the appellant’s refusal, adding that the HEC does not have any authority to recover from the appellant as a guarantor.

The court said that the commission can initiate proceedings against Taj and the relevant officials. It also provided guidelines to avoid these kind of incidents in the future.