What is the exact nature of Axact scam, ask the concerned citizens especially those whose young ones are trying their luck to get an opportunity to earn their bread and butter after completing their educational pursuits?
The concern seems to be much larger than is being guessed because the parents have spent millions of borrowed rupees to build up their posterity’s future. And the concern multiplies manifold when it comes to be known at a later stage after lot of expenditure and consumption of time and energy that all those efforts to get educated were fake and un-genuine which don’t carry any legitimacy within Pakistan as well as abroad.
Realities are unfolding very quickly and very soon the world will come to know the actual facts with complete details since Pakistani authorities have started a thorough, multi-faceted probe at all levels. FIA is playing the lead role under the direct supervision of Interior Minister, Ch Nisar, who has also indicated seeking assistance and guidance from FBI and British authorities since the Axact scam activity has been more pronounced in the US and UK. The breaking news has rather come from the US, through New York Times.
As regards the reporter, Declan Walsh, his penetration in different organizations and structures is quite well known throughout the world. Some reservations had once been expressed by certain quarters in Pakistani establishment about this reporter vis-a-vis his overstay in Pakistan and this scribe happened to give breaking news on that development. At that time, 14 big media houses of the world came forward to defend Walsh and these media houses included the biggest and second biggest media houses as well like, for instance, CNN and BBC etc. The question is not that of discussing the NYT reporter’s credentials but of his investigative techniques. It is widely known throughout many parts of the world, especially the media world that Walsh is quite adept in the art of deep probing, digging out hidden facts and unearthing even the most inaccessible evidence.
This is one aspect of the Axact education scam or fake degrees’ scandal. The most significant aspect that merits mention is the statement given by one of the most credible and respected figures of the field of education. He is none other than Professor Dr Ataur Rehman, the former Chairman of Higher Education Commission who is the pioneer of worthwhile, globally recognized higher and highly professional education in Pakistan.
According to Dr Ataur Rehman, most of the universities and other higher education institutions that Axact claimed to represent (or claimed to be connected with) are fake as if they don’t exist on ground. Not only that, with the same reference, there is also mention of thousands of degrees which means fake degrees.
Now who will ever differ with the technically sound opinion and well-informed status of Dr Ataur Rehman. Perhaps not a single soul has two opinions about Dr Ata’s authentic and strong information base.
This takes us to a very sad conclusion: that the country continues to be in the grip of fraudsters who don’t even spare the innocent youth, the same youth who are the hope of this nation.
Every now and then, both electronic and print media are bustling with big advertisements that speak high about the ‘marvellous achievements’ of education-cum-visa companies which make magical promises of bright future in the prosperous lands. But no mechanism has ever been applied by the state or by the awakened society-and educationists- to issue alerts to the younger generation (and/or their parents) to beware of such rosy claims and promises.

(The writer is a seasoned journalist and media academician)