ISLAMABAD – The Supreme Court of Pakistan Wednesday ordered the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan to shut down all the illegal campuses of private universities across the country.
The apex court issued the ruling while hearing a petition against illegal campuses established by Preston and Al Khair universities in Karachi and Lahore. The petition was filed by students after HEC denied verifying degrees issued by the illegal campuses.
A three-member bench headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial also ordered to verify the degrees issued by the campuses in question and implement uniform policies across the country.
The court remarked that no compromise will be made on providing higher education to the young generation.
Earlier, HEC had told the court that private universities were not allowed to establish campuses beyond their designated places, adding that alerts had been issued to them on many occasions.
The top court has also directed the federal and provincial governments to support HEC in its efforts to curb such illegal activities in the country.
Justice Bandial remarked that HEC has powers to take action against the illegal campuses, adding that the court will ask the government to amend the laws if there is any kind of flaw.
Lawyer Ali Zafar, who is representing students in the case, told the court that his clients had earlier approached the Lahore High Court (LHC) to get their degrees verified but the court declared the campuses illegal instead.
