Federal Minister for Education Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said on Thursday that the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s demand to place Karachi under the federation was not unconstitutional, arguing that if such a demand was to be termed treason, then the relevant clause should be removed from the Constitution.
Speaking to reporters after a laptop distribution ceremony at the NED University, Dr Siddiqui said he would take up the matter with the prime minister, adding that the MQM’s demand was within the constitutional framework.
Responding to questions about the Gul Plaza tragedy, he remarked that even the Sindh government itself did not appear to be fully satisfied with the inquiry report. On the delay in the appointment of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) chairman, Dr Siddiqui said that three names selected purely on merit had been forwarded to the prime minister. He claimed that never before in the history of the HEC had candidates been shortlisted through such a transparent process.
He said the summary had been delayed and stressed that the post of HEC chairman was of critical importance and should not have remained vacant. Noting that the prime minister had returned from an official foreign visit, Dr Siddiqui said he would request him to make the appointment at the earliest. Until then, he added, a decision regarding an acting chairman would be taken after consultations in Islamabad.
Replying to a question about irregularities at the Federal Urdu University, the minister said that an inquiry report had already been prepared and action was to be taken, but he added that recommendations and pressures often surfaced in such cases, complicating the process.
