Almost two weeks after the New York Times (NYT) report, “Fake diplomas, Real Cash: Pakistani company Axact reaps millions,” the Axact and Bol Group empire seems to be falling like a house of cards.
Axact CEO Shoaib Shaikh, also leading Bol, has been arrested and admitted to providing 147 fake doctorate degrees to clients in the US, England and Middle East. The scandal has resulted in a mass exodus of senior journalists from Bol, seriously denting ambitious launch plans of the much-hyped media channel. The upcoming channel, self-branded as Pakistan’s “largest media group,” has also been ordered by regulatory body PEMRA to cease its test transmission. The broadcast is likely to remain suspended till Axact directors are exonerated from charges of money laundering and fraud.
While some doubts surround credibility of the massive fake degree scam exposed by Declan Walsh, once declared a persona non-grata by Pakistan, the country’s media channels have remained obsessed with fresh developments in the case to take an aim at Axact. However, conspiracy theorists believe that their real target is not Axact, but its sister concern the Bol Group.
Touted as the next big thing on Pakistan’s media landscape, the channel took up the mission to portray a “Positive Pakistan” and revolutionize entertainment in the country. Since its inception, the media group was rumored to be connected with the country’s security establishment and underworld. To prepare for its launch, it had successfully poached some of the most well-known media faces from competitors at highly lucrative packages. In Pakistan’s often heated and ugly media wars, there was perhaps no room to tolerate a new entrant that could challenge the monopolies of existing media giants. Such is the nature of cut-throat competition in Pakistan’s media industry, where large conglomerates may join hands to kill a new threat.
At the same time, many people have been puzzled by the government’s response to the Axact scandal. The Interior Ministry, Federal Board of Revenue, FIA, Customs and the Securities and Exchange Commission all jumped into action to sniff through company records and unearth pieces of evidence against Axact. As the fake degree scam deepened and created ripples around the world, the local authorities even considered involving the FBI, Interpol and other UK regulators in the investigation. Some people have even questioned the hullabaloo around this issue — fake universities have existed since forever in different parts of the world, so why is Axact being hounded in particular? The Axact officials are now behind bars, but why have other high profile politicians not been reprimanded for involvement in corruption and other frauds?
The whole saga has also raised a question mark over the decency and morality of famous media luminaries, who resigned from Bol based on “principles” and deserted the channel at the time of this crisis. While these bigwigs may join some other smaller venture, they have left the fate of over 2,000 employees hanging in the balance. Detesting their actions, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has already warned other media groups from hiring these senior journalists as their actions have compromised the jobs of professionals associated with Bol and the overall industry’s future.
As the mystery surrounding the operations of Axact and Bol deepens, it can be expected that startling new revelations will surface in the coming days. To promote the media industry in Pakistan, there is a need to delink the Axact fake degree scam from Bol channel. Guilty until proven innocent seems to be the new way in Pakistan. As no conclusive evidence has yet emerged, the authorities and media houses should refrain from passing their guilty verdict and cool down the hype surrounding this scandal that has maligned Pakistan, and the country’s budding IT industry.
