Islamabad:A misleading news item, concerning a PhD scholar who was martyred in Christchurch attack, was published in a section of the press on Tuesday.
It is clarified that the name of Haroon Mehmood has appeared in the list of those martyred in the recent Christchurch attack in New Zealand. It was later learned that in 2017 and 2018, HEC had sent numerous notices to an HEC scholar with the same name. The reason was that he had been awarded an HEC scholarship but left the country before completing his academic programme, and without informing HEC. He was sent notices every month during 2017 and 2018 and a final warning on April 15, 2019. He did not respond to any correspondence.
In response to the final notice, the family of the scholar contacted HEC to inform us that Haroon had become a victim of terrorism in Christchurch. His family was conveyed heartfelt condolences, and were informed that previous letters were issued because HEC had no information about his tragic demise.
Further, they have also been requested to provide documentation such as death certificate so that the case can be formally closed.