Arrest warrants for Khalid Khurshid, the former Chief Minister of Gilgit-Baltistan and a leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, have been issued following his failure to appear in court regarding a fake degree case.
Khurshid, who is currently on bail, in his absence, prompted the Gilgit-Baltistan court to cancel his bail and proceed with the warrants’ issuance.
In July of the previous year, the Chief Court of Gilgit-Baltistan disqualified Khurshid regarding allegations of possessing a falsified degree. The ruling was delivered by a three-judge bench consisting of Justice Malik Inayat-ur-Rehman, Justice Johar Ali, and Justice Muhammad Mushtaq.
The case was initiated by Ghulam Shahzad Agha, a member of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly from the People’s Party, who challenged the authenticity of Khurshid’s LLB degree acquired during his tenure as Chief Minister. Agha petitioned for Khurshid’s disqualification under Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution, asserting that the University of London had not verified the degree and was subsequently declared fraudulent by the Higher Education Commission.
The court subsequently issued notices to several parties, including the Higher Education Commission, the Chief Minister, the Gilgit-Baltistan Bar Council, and the Election Commission, seeking their responses. During the proceedings, it was revealed that the University of London had not recognized the degree, leading to its revocation.
Before his disqualification, opposition parties in Gilgit-Baltistan had introduced a no-confidence motion against Khurshid, which contributed to the eventual collapse of his administration.
