Nadra director general dismissed from service for holding fake degree

ISLAMABAD: The National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) dismissed a director general for holding fake degree.

Nadra’s Chairman Lt Gen Mohammad Munir Afsar issued the dismissal order of DG Zulfiqar Ahmed.

The dismissal order stated: “At the time of his initial appointment, Mr. Ahmed declared his educational qualifications as an MBA from George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA, and a BBA from Westwood College, Virginia, USA. An initial investigation carried out by Nadra revealed grave discrepancies in the credentials of Mr. Zulfiqar Ahmed…However, in 2018, he managed to obtain a provisional equivalence letter from the Higher Education Commission (HEC).

This letter was later found to have been procured through fraud and misrepresentation.

Similarly, the order states: “His BBA degree from Westwood College was proven to be a blatant forgery. The degree, dated 1987, is rendered entirely implausible as the institution was officially known as the Denver Institute of Technology until 1997, when it was acquired by the Alta Group and renamed Westwood College. At the time of its earlier operation, the Denver Institute of Technology primarily offered diplomas in technical fields, making it highly unlikely that a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration was awarded under its subsequent name a full decade prior to its renaming.

“Further discrepancies were found in Mr. Ahmed’s academic transcript, where the calculated GPA did not align with the final grades, exposing additional fabrications.”

The order also referred to the petition of Ahmed that challenged the disciplinary proceeding and withdrawal of the equivalency certificate issued by the Higher Education Commission and stated that his petition, aimed at overturning HEC’s findings and actions, was dismissed by the IHC, affirming the thoroughness and accuracy of the investigation.

“After going through the original case file and seeing eye to eye all the records having considered all aspects and material relating thereto, I, Chairman NADRA…am of the opinion that the allegation against the Respondent ERP#30510, Mr. Zulfiqar Ahmed, stands established, therefore, the undersigned has decided to impose a major penalty of “Dismissal from Service” upon, Mr. Zulfiqar Ahmed,” said the order.

The dismissal order however states that the officer can file an appeal before the competent forum within 30 days.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2024