ISLAMABAD – It seems fake degrees issue has also alarmed the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra), as it advised the top officials to verify their credentials from their respective degree-issuing institutions at their own expense, but in a secret manner.

Official sources on the condition of anonymity informed TheNation that the Ogra in a recent decision advised its employees, including the executives, to verify their degrees/certificates. The executives were also directed to request their universities/institutions to confirm the status of their degrees directly to Ogra in a confidential manner.
They said the Ogra officials were further asked to get verification of their degrees latest by 25th July positively, only to avoid the presence of fake degree holders in the authority.
Available copy of the official letter OGRA-5-9 (12)/2011-HR issued from the office of DAED (HR) on 13th of July says every employee shall get verification of his/her degree/certificate on individual basis at his/her own expense. The executives are therefore, requested to send their degrees to their respective universities/institutions for verification. “The executives are also requested to request their universities/institutions to confirm the status of their degrees directly to Admn/HR Department of Ogra in confidential manner/through sealed envelope,” the letter says, adding, “The matter may be accorded immediate treatment, please.”
The available list of 54 high officials of Ogra that were asked to verify their degrees/certificates has disclosed the names of the persons enjoying very lucrative slots in the regulatory authority. The list also includes the names of three executive directors (EDs) - Sarmad Aslam, Zain-ul-Abideen Qureshi, Iqbal Ahmad - and seven joint executive directors (JEDs) - Asad Latif, Amjad Khan, Atif Sajjad, Shahid Nauman, Misbah Yaqoob, Syed Anis Haider Hamdani and Ihsan ul Haq. The list also contains the names of 16 deputy executive directors (DEDs) including Muhammad Asif, Ejaz Ahmad Gohar, Nasrullah Khan, Muhammad Muzammil Awais, Muhammad Iltaf, Kanwal Akmal, Taslim Khan, Muhammad Mudassar Siddiq, Shahid Faisal, Uzma Ashfaq, Aftab Alam Khan, Muhammad Iqbal, Sajid Zahid Rauf, Azizullah Khan, Ghulam-e-Muhammad Shaheen and Muhammad Abdul Rahim.
Similarly, the names of eleven audit executive directors (AEDs) - Usman Saif, Muhammad Shoaib Malik, Zeeshan Majeed, Saima Nasim, Aurangzeb, Sharjeel Ahmad, Haseeb Akhtar, Muhammad Hanif Zia, Hidyatullah, Naseer Sheikh, and Iftikhar Ahmad - are also mentioned in the said list, while the two DAEDs are: Kashif Pervaiz and Naseer Hafeez Malik.
Furthermore, the names of six executive secretaries (ES) include Muhammad Amin, Nadeem Khalid, Muhammad Adnan, Shahida Sarwar, Ateeq Aslam and Asif Khalil.
Muhammad Rizwan ul Haq (PLO), Jawad Jamil (Staff Officer), Azhar Fareed Khan (DCAO), Senior law Officer (SLO) Raheela Mustafa and Audit Executive Muhammad Qasim Muhammad Tariq are also included in the list those who have been advised to get verification of their degrees/certificates from their respective institutions/universities.