Scores of Pakistani lawmakers may lose their seats for allegedly lying about their academic credentials,a growing scandal that adds to the woes of the US-backed leadership as it struggles with Islamist militancy and a weak economy. What began as accusations against a handful of lawmakers has mushroomed into formal legal challenges against up to 160 elected officials - more than 10 per cent of the country's federal and provincial legislators. Many are said to have claimed fake degrees to meet a previous requirement for holding office. The Supreme Court has ordered the Elections Commission to vet the credentials of nearly all of the some 1,100 federal and provincial lawmakers. If enough lawmakers are found ineligible,there are rumblings that a midterm election may be needed. The scandal has drawn some frustrated reactions from lawmakers besieged by an aggressive media. "A degree is a degree! Whether fake or genuine,it's a degree! It makes no difference!" Baluchistan province chief minister Nawab Aslam Raisani,who claims a master's in political science,shouted at a gaggle of reporters today. The controversy has its roots in a 2002 law imposed by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf that required candidates for office hold a bachelor's degree or equivalent. Musharraf supposedly wanted to improve the caliber of lawmakers,but critics said the move was more about sidelining certain opponents. It also was undemocratic,critics alleged,in a country of 180 million where only 50 per cent of adults are literate. Traditionally,feudal ties or business success count for more in politics than academic achievement. Seven other countries - including Chile,Nigeria and Tajikistan - have constitutional provisions specifying an educational qualification for candidacy to the lower house of the national parliament,said Pippa Norris,who teaches at Harvard University's John F Kennedy School of Government. Pakistan's Supreme Court struck down the requirement in April 2008,but not before Musharraf allowed elections in February of that year. Analysts say many candidates apparently submitted fake degree papers to qualify for those races. Many of the potentially fake degrees appear to have been claimed from Islamic seminaries,whose degrees are considered equivalent to a bachelor's in Pakistan. Other lawmakers,however,claim to have earned bachelors,Ph.D.s or master's degrees from institutions whose existence is difficult to verify.
