Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Comsats Institute of Science And Technology (CIIT) has finally suspended from service its Pro-rector Muhammad Haroon Rashid over his plagiarised thesis of PhD.

The CIIT’s Board of Governors in its meeting held here on Saturday decided to suspend the top official over the plagiarism charges against him, well informed sources told Daily Times.

Chaired by the CIIT’s Executive Director Dr.Imtanan Illahi, the meeting was attend by the Secretary Federal Education and Training Muhammad Humayun, Secretary Ministry of Science and Technology Fazal Abbas Maken, Chairperson Higher Education Commission Dr.Mukthar Ahmed and 17 other internal senior officials of Comsats.

An official familiar with the proceeding said the body suspended Haroon and he has been given the chance to present himself at the hearing fixed on June 17. Dr.Ahmed confirmed the decision.

Haroon’s doctorate was withdrawn on June 6 by an Academic Council formulated by the Preston University Islamabad.

When the HEC Quality Assurance (QA) Division probed the thesis over reception of several complaints against it through its plagiarism detection software ‘Turnitin’ it found that the plagiarism level was 72 per cent. The HEC on September 18 wrote to the Preston University for further investigation into the matter.

In compliance with the HEC directive the Preston University formed a four-member body for an impartial probe into the matter and submitted its report to the commission with in the stipulated time, wherein the body concluded that the “thesis does not justify the award of a PhD degree.”

Haroon then approached the Islamabad High Court against the HEC. In the petition he had accused the HEC Chairperson Dr.Mukhtar Ahmed for waging a media war against him, and the commission. Rashid said,that the HEC did not act according to its devised policy.

He stated in the petition that as per policy his case of plagiarism could not be opened as the rule was only applicable after September 2007. The IHC on June 3 dismissed the case stating that it was “devoid of merits”.

According to the available notification, Preston varsity called its academic council on June 6 and declared the said doctorate null and void with immediate effect.

An official said that the Preston University did not give a chance of appeal to Haroon which was his constitutional right as the IHC had given its verdict on June 3 (Friday) and the varsity declared the doctoral degree void on June 6 without providing him an interval to file an appeal with the upper court,adding that although the cancellation was not in accordance with the law . The HEC plagiarism policy was applicable only for the students who got their degrees after 2007, but its withdrawal was a good measure because the doctoral degree was based on concealment.

According to the HEC anti-plagiarism bylaws, there were three categories of punishment for the person who was found plagiarising academic work. Such a person can be rebuked under one of three categories: major, moderate and minor. The penalty in major cases is dismissal from service, while people involved in moderate plagiarism can be demoted or blacklisted. The minor penalty is a warning to the professor and freezing all research grants to him/her.

Haroon however has been granted the top category out of the said three categories. He has been expelled from the CIIT whereas his fate as Chief Executive NTS is yet to be decided.