We gather today in memory of a once-vibrant force that lifted thousands from mediocrity into the light of scholarship, and which believed in merit and in the transformative power of knowledge. It was born out of ambition, nurtured with hope and, for a time, it soared. It gave young minds the courage to think and innovate. Its legacy touched every province, every classroom, every lab.

But over the years, it grew weary. Betrayed by those sworn to protect it, it was slowly drained of purpose, dignity and strength. Today, we mourn not just its passing, but the silence that followed, the absence of outrage, the quiet burial of a national promise.

This is not the obituary of a person but the requiem of the Higher Education Commission (HEC), an institution that once stood as a beacon of reform and ambition and was gradually reduced to a shell of its former self.

While media coverage occasionally paints a rosy picture (often authored by insiders or aspirants to its top office) a deeper, more critical analysis reveals a pattern of systemic decay, mission drift and bureaucratic entanglement. Once hailed as a transformative force in the country’s academic landscape, the HEC has seen a troubling decline. If I had to pinpoint when the HEC and the higher education sector began coasting, I would put my finger on 15 years ago.

In 2002, General Pervez Musharraf introduced a law that required parliamentarians to hold at least a university degree. By August 2008, Musharraf stepped down from power. While the law was later struck down, in 2010, the Supreme Court of Pakistan required lawmakers to verify the authenticity of their university degree(s). The argument was that they needed to prove they were in compliance with laws, including repealed ones, while they were in effect. Therefore, anyone whose degree could not be authenticated had a history of breaking the law, which could be........

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