Education minister Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed today said he would not resign over the allegation that he used unfair means to get his son passed in 10th class examination two years back.
Talking to media on phone, the minister alleged that politics was being played over the issue to “defame him.”
“There is no question of me resigning over the issue. My enemies want me to resign. They wanted me to resign in 2008 also, but people are with me. Till people are with me, I will never resign,” he said.
Peerzada stated that an NGO had sent a complaint to the governor who forwarded it to the chief minister’s secretariat. “They in turn forwarded it to the general administration department and after verification, it has been found fabricated, false and incorrect,” he said.
Peerzada said that the chief minister wanted the same file. “I met the chief minister along with commissioner secretary and BOSE chairman who clarified everything to Omar sahib. The same file has been forwarded to the crime branch and I welcome it,” he said.
The education minister said that his son appeared in 12th examination last year. “I am ready for a probe in his 12th examination also,” he said.
He threatened that he will file defamation cases against those who filed ‘false’ complaint against him.
“A strong lobby wants to defame me by leveling false allegations against me time and again,” the minister claimed.
MLA Langate Engineer Rashid led a protest demonstration at Press Enclave here demanding resignation of education minister on moral grounds following his alleged involvement in examination copying scam. Carrying placards and torches in their hands, they also raised anti Peerzada slogans including “Remove Peerzada, Save education.”
Talking to media persons, Engineer Rashid alleged that the “corrupt minister and officers were giving a bad name to education.” He appealed to the mainstream and separatist parties not to observe silence over the issue. “This whole scam needs a fair probe. For a fair probe, Peerzada must resign or chief minister using his power must shunt him out,” the MLA said. The protestors later dispersed peacefully.
Islamic Students Federation also held a protest demonstrations against the alleged copying scam. Its activists assembled at Press Enclave and lodged a protest. They said the issue must be taken seriously as it pertains to important sector of education.
Meanwhile, chairman of the Board Of School Education (BOSE) Dr Shiekh Bashir told KTNS that no unfair means were resorted to by the minister’s son during 10th class examination. "During the enquiry we conducted, no unfair means were detected. All the stories that appeared in the newspapers are baseless and are being fed by a board official for his petty interests."
He alleged that an official of the board is digging the stories, only for the sake of his own promotion. "A board official of the level of assistant secretary who was illegally holding the charge of joint secretary (secrecy) two years ago is the person behind all this concocted story. If the wrong was done two years back when he was in charge of the secrecy section why did he not expose it then? Going to media two years later with a baseless story clearly speaks about his ill intentions," chairman said.
Asked about a local daily showing the Urdu answer book of ministers' son written in two different hand writings, he said that it is a matter of investigation. "Since the case has been handed over to crime branch for investigations, we should wait for what comes
out during the investigation. Nothing wrong was found during our investigation," he said.
