GILGIT: The Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Court disqualified Chief Minister Khalid Khurshid Khan, the PTI’s regional President, on Tuesday for allegedly acquiring a license from the GB Bar Council based on a forged degree.
On a petition seeking the CM’s disqualification, a three-judge bench comprised of Judge Malik Anayatur Rehman, Judge Johar Ali, and Judge Mohammad Mushtaq issued the order. Ghulam Shahzad Agha, a PPP member of the GB Assembly, challenged Khurshid’s law degree and demanded his removal under Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution. The petitioner, through his counsel Amjad Hussain, claimed that Khurshid’s degree had not been authenticated by the University of London and had been determined fake by the Higher Education Commission.
On May 29, Chief Judge Ali Baig summoned a larger bench to hear the matter, with instructions to hold day-to-day hearings and reach a decision within 14 days. The court had also issued notifications to the HEC, the chief minister, the GB Bar Council, and the Election Commission to respond to the issue. During today’s hearing, all of the respondents in the case finished their arguments, and the court disqualified Khurshid for five years.
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Following the announcement of the verdict, a number of PTI and PPP supporters gathered outside the court and yelled slogans in favour of their respective parties and leaders. After the hearing, Advocate Amjad told reporters that Khurshid had presented an American degree to the CB Bar Council — which he said was provided by Axact — and got a lawyer’s license. He said that when the degree was challenged, all documents at the bar council were destroyed and that later in court, a degree issued by a London university was presented. The lawyer went on to say that the truth had prevailed and that the degree submitted by Khurshid was a fake.
Gilgit-Baltistan CM to Appeal Verdict, Says Lawyer
Meanwhile, Khurshid’s lawyer, Advocate Asadullah Saad, stated that the court’s decision was contrary to “our expectations.” Furthermore, Advocate Abdullah stated that the court’s decision to hear the case on a daily basis had generated a number of questions. Separately, the PTI claimed in a statement today that it has opted to stick by Khurshid, claiming a “clear majority” in the region. According to the statement, Chairman Imran Khan called a meeting of all members of the GB Parliamentary Committee to establish a comprehensive plan to address the current challenges.
No-confidence Motion Submitted Against CM
A no-confidence motion was also filed against Khurshid in the GB Assembly earlier in the day. Abdur Razzak, the assembly’s secretary, said that nine people had signed the no-confidence motion.
Khurshid was elected as the Chief Minister of the GB in 2020. He was selected by the PTI-Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen coalition, while Amjad Hussain, a candidate of the opposition parties JUI-F, PPP, and PML-N, received 22 and nine votes, respectively.
