Zartaj Gul's sister never disqualified by PU as namesake stirred confusion: report

LAHORE - Minister for Climate Change, Zartaj Gul's sister was not disqualified by the Punjab University on charges of plagiarism, contrary to the media reports shared widely on the social media in droves.

Days after Zartaj Gul faced flak for recommending her sister to be appointed Director of National Counter Terrorism Authority, it has emerged that a story suggesting Shabnum Gul's disqualification by the Punjab University over plagiarism was misunderstood due to namesake confusion.

As soon as Shabum Gul made her way to NACTA, social media users started sharing a news story which implied that she was disqualified for a teaching job in PU on charges of plagiarism back in 2006, however, the Gul referred to in the news story was not Zartaj Gul's sister.

In actual, Shabnum Gul - who was disqualified by PU belonged to Kashmir - had nothing to do with PTI minister and a mistaken identity directed flak at the sitting regime.

Even the 'disqualified' Shabnum Gul was able to get her name cleared of the charge of plagiarism after an inquiry ruled that she had been punished in a one-sided probe, Dawn News reported.

A PU inquiry board also annulled the earlier disqualification notification and restored her candidature besides allowing her to apply for action against the complainant but she decided not to exercise her right to report the fake complaint against her.

Shabnum Gul says she was convinced it was part of a plot to deny her due academic space despite her bright record as a student; she later got a job as the research associate at a university and after the passage of a decade Ms Gul returned to the Punjab University last year and got re-enrolled for her PhD in Kashmiriyat.

Shabnum Gul, who is currently doing her course work, told the leading daily that the social media trolls had made her life hell after she was confused with another woman from another college in Lahore dealing with allegations of another kind.

“The stress has been just too much to bear,” she said, at having been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

Investigations show that Ms Zartaj’s sister was never a student of Kashmiriat or any other subject at the Punjab University. She has been studying for a PhD in political science at the Lahore College for Women University.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan has also directed Zartaj Gul to withdraw the letter recommending the appointment of her sister at Grade-19 in Nacta.