IHC upholds grade-19 officer's dismissal over fake degrees

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has dismissed an intra-court appeal filed by Grade-19 government officer Waseem Afzal Warraich, upholding his dismissal from service over the use of fake academic degrees and directing authorities to recover all benefits received during his employment.

According to the detailed judgment issued on July 1, 2026, the divisional bench found Warraich guilty of fraud and forgery, ruling that he had obtained his BA and MBA degrees through cheating and fabricated documents.

The court ordered that all financial and service benefits received by Warraich during his government career be recovered and directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to initiate legal proceedings against him.

According to the judgment, Warraich first secured employment at SME Bank in 1993 using fake academic credentials. He later left the bank under the Golden Handshake Scheme in 2009.

In 2011, he obtained a Grade-19 position in the Ministry of Labour and Manpower—now the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development—again on the basis of the same fake degrees.

The court noted that in 2017, the Islamabad High Court had already declared Warraich's BA and MBA degrees to be fake and ordered his removal from service.

Following that judgement, the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis issued a notification dismissing Warraich from his post and also withdrew all privileges and benefits attached to his service.

The ministry further directed the FIA to take criminal action against him for allegedly obtaining public employment through forged academic qualifications.

By dismissing the intra-court appeal, the Islamabad High Court has reaffirmed its earlier ruling, clearing the way for the recovery of benefits and criminal proceedings against the former government officer.