Maila Times

Shown here is Basit, studying for his final exam with his classmate and professor before the alleged incident. Source: http://today.appstate.edu/pakistan/

Austin, Texas: A Pakistani student at the University of Texas is under investigation for allegedly lying and making false excuses in order to get an extension on his exams and projects. Basit Mazhary, a senior mechanical engineering student at the university’s Austin campus, is charged with academic misconduct after lying to several of his professors about the death of his close family members back home. Basit’s professors became suspicious of Basit’s claims after several professors noted that Basit’s parents and grandfathers and siblings have all died at least three times each during the course of his college career.

According to reports, Basit’s mechanical engineering professor was initially sympathetic towards Basit when Basit informed him that he will not be able to take his final exam on time, as his mother back home passed away suddenly from cancer. According to Professor Andrew Kerner, he told Basit that he initially felt “Completely sorry for what Basit was going through,” especially since his father died during final exams last semester. “It must be so tragically sad for you and your family,” said Professor Kerner to Basit. Professor Kerner said that Basit was well known among his professors, as several of his professors have learned about the tragic passing of several of Basit’s family members over the years. “I thought that he just got so unlucky again,” said professor William Adams, one of Basit’s professors from last year. “Last year his grandmother passed away, and now his mother. Can this kid ever get a break?”

However, Professor Kerner got suspicious of Basit’s claim when one of his other students alerted Professor Kerner to Basit’s Facebook page. Apparently, Basit’s Facebook status was: “Haha professor sala wapas bewakoof ban gia.” Professor Kerner immediately translated it by using Google translator, and believed that Basit might be referring to the extension that he got after telling the professor that his mother had just passed away in Pakistan.

Professor Kerner forwarded his concern along to the Dean of Student Affairs Mrs. Samantha Wilson, who then initiated an inquiry and asked all of the professors who have taught Basit in the last four years to come testify if they have ever given Basit an extension. Reports leaked by the Dean’s office suggest that according to the excuses Basit has made in the past four years, his grandfather has passed away five times (twice from smoking, once from old age, and twice from a car accident), his grandmother thrice (once from cancer, once from being hit by a bus, and once from falling down the stairs), his great-grand mother twice (once from eating too much nihari which caused high blood pressure, and once from the shock of finding out that her grandson is going out with a ‘gori’ in London), his parents went through a divorce twice (both times he told the professors that his mom accused his dad of sleeping with the massi), his elder sister got married six times (but according to records, Basit is the only child), and that there were several instances of his family having financial problems that led him to skip home works and project deadlines.

Professors from other academic institutions around the United States were quick to back up the university’s allegations, noting that their Pakistani students to be victims “of a series of unfortunate circumstances” during exam times, and that “the likelihood of it being a coincidence is close to zero.” However, other students at the University of Texas were appalled at the report. Jordan Shipley, along with is roommate Colt McCoy, told Maila Times that “Pakistani students are the smartest that they know, and that we in fact cheat off of them several times.”

If the charges are proven, Basit could be expelled from the university. The university is suspecting that this might be a trend, and has sent out a memo to all of its professors to be more cautious before extending deadlines for Pakistani students. The Pakistan Foreign ministry has taken exception to these reports, calling these charges ‘baseless’ and ‘without merit.’ Spokesman for the Foreign Ministry said that this new policy is racist against Pakistanis, and that a Pakistani would never do such a thing to gain an unfair advantage academically. Ambassador Haqqani will travel to Austin and explain that these instances are not excuses, but are actually very real and “facts of life”.