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DG Zulfiqar Ahmed has been dismissed from his position by the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) following the revelation that his academic credentials were fraudulent.
The dispute started in 2023 when the newly appointed chairman of NADRA mandated a new round of academic credential verification for all staff.
In 2018, Zulfiqar Ahmed came under investigation for having received degree equivalence certifications from the Higher Education Commission (HEC). When HEC contacted the schools listed on Ahmed’s degrees as part of the re-verification process, they both denied having any connection to him.
“We have no student record for Zulfiqar Ahmed,” George Mason University, USA, declared emphatically, and went on to explain that the given student ID was fake.
Verification of his Westwood College BBA degree was also difficult because the school had closed and no records could be found.
It was also discovered that the signature on Ahmed’s MBA degree was that of someone who wasn’t the president of the university at the time.
The equivalency credentials of Ahmed were revoked after the HEC conducted its own investigations in response to a request from NADRA and verified the results. The case against him was further strengthened when the Islamabad High Court affirmed the decision of HEC.
Additionally, Ahmed did not adequately respond to NADRA’s show-cause notice. The chairman of NADRA took disciplinary proceedings against Zulfiqar Ahmed, citing the High Court’s decision and the absence of reliable evidence, leading to Ahmed’s removal.
