Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has thrown himself into another controversy by saying that Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was not a graduate.
The Opposition parties and other political personalities have expressed resentment and indignation over President Zardari’s statement about Jinnah’s qualifications. President Zardari had said on television: “Quaid-e-Azam was a non-graduate.”
The state-owned Pakistan Television, however, censored Mr Zardari’s words. But independent TV channels showed the President discussing the educational qualifications of Jinnah, sparking a huge controversy.
The Opposition parties in the Pakistan National Assembly decided to move a resolution of condemnation in Parliament against Mr Asif Ali Zardari’s words.
Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leader Pervaiz Rasheed said Mr Zardari has misguided the nation with his words about Jinnah and “he should apologise to the nation”.
Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-e-Azam) legislator Asia Azeem said the Pakistan government was trying to save its own leaders from fake degree cases by making such statements, a reference to the Higher Education Commission sending the degrees of 200 members of Pakistan’s Assemblies to the concerned universities for verification. Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s degree has recently been declared “genuine” by the electoral authorities. Non-graduates are not eligible to hold high office in Pakistan.
On the other hand, the Presidency denied that President Zardari had spoken about Jinnah’s qualification in his address.
“The President did not say words like this,” said Faisal Raza Abidi, a close aide of President Zardari.