In a major development, the Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Court has disqualified Chief Minister Khalid Khursheed Khan in a fake degree case.
According to the details, a three-member larger bench — Justice Malik Inayat Ur Rehman, Justice Jauhar Ali, and Justice Mushtaq Muhammad — announced the verdict on the plea filed by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) GB Assembly member Ghulam Shahzad Agha.
The petitioner had argued that Khursheed’s law degree was fake and he should be disqualified under Article 62 and 63. Khursheed claimed to have received a law degree from London but it could not be verified.
On the other hand, the former CM’s lawyer, Asadullah Khan, argued that the articles do not apply to GB, but the complainant’s counsel informed the court that they applied to the region — based on which the court issued its judgment.
Read more: GB govt unveils over Rs.116 billion budget for fiscal year 2023-24
The degree presented by Khursheed had glaring differences like paper quality, embossed stamp, font, and signature when his verification letter was compared with other verification letters issued by the same department at the University of London in the same time frame for other students, media reports state.
The now-former chief minister had joined the PTI in 2018 and was elevated to the position of Diamer- Astore’s divisional president. He had been in office since December 2020 and had been a close aide of PTI chairman Imran Khan.
When GB headed towards general polls in 2020, PTI’s former GB president Jafar Shah passed away due to coronavirus.
The sudden death created a vacuum, and during that time, given his qualifications, which have now turned out to be fake, PTI nominated Khursheed for GB’s top post.
Separatley today, the opposition lawmakers submitted a no-confidence motion against Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Khalid Khurshid. The no-confidence motion was filed by nine opposition members, signaling their discontent with the current leadership.
Read more: Ex-GB Rana Shamim takes back allegations in controversial affidavit