ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Bar Council on Thursday declared the law degrees of its former chairman Ahsan Bhoon genuine, ending weeks of public controversy over the senior lawyer’s qualifications. The council, the country’s apex regulatory body for lawyers, said every member elected to it in the 2020 and 2025 polls was formally notified only after their degrees had been verified.
The declaration settles the question that followed remarks by Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar, who had publicly questioned the authenticity of Bhoon’s degree and demanded verification of the law degrees of several senior lawyers.
Controversy began ahead of bar polls: Ahsan Bhoon law degrees
Safdar raised the issue while speaking to journalists outside the Supreme Court on September 23. He called for scrutiny of degrees held by prominent lawyers, including Bhoon, amid controversy surrounding the upcoming Supreme Court Bar Association elections.
Bhoon’s legal team rejected the claims, saying Safdar had presented no authentic documentary or legal evidence to support them. The lawyers said the remarks had damaged Bhoon’s reputation and professional standing.
Safdar has since submitted a complaint to the secretary of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan, seeking scrutiny of Bhoon’s educational certificate, enrolment and professional credentials, according to press reports.
Rs5 billion notice to Safdar
On September 29, Bhoon, a senior Supreme Court advocate and former Pakistan Bar Council chairman, served a Rs5 billion damages notice on Safdar over the allegations.
According to the legal notice, Safdar was given seven days to withdraw the claims and issue an unconditional apology. The notice warned that failure to do so could lead to civil and criminal proceedings.
The notice states that Bhoon obtained his LLB degree from Punjab University in 1989 and maintains that the qualification is genuine and properly verified. It adds that Punjab University’s Controller of Examinations re-verified the degree on January 21, 2026.
The Rs5 billion figure is a damages claim made in the notice. It has not been adjudicated by any court.
Law minister had weighed in
Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar had addressed the matter earlier, saying Bhoon’s credentials had previously been verified and that he was not aware of any problem with the degree. He advised Safdar to stay away from the lawyers’ community and avoid controversies.
Verification of bar council members
The Pakistan Bar Council’s latest statement goes beyond Bhoon’s case. It says all members who joined the council through the 2020 and 2025 elections were notified after their degrees were checked and verified.
Bhoon was among those elected to the council in the 2025 elections from Lahore, with results notified by Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan, the returning officer for the polls.
In an earlier dispute over another council member’s credentials, the Peshawar High Court noted that the Supreme Court had directed the Attorney General’s office to verify candidates’ credentials before the council’s elections, and that a notification under the attorney general’s signatures carried a presumption of completed verification.
What the declaration changes
With the apex lawyers’ body now on record calling Bhoon’s law degrees genuine, the institutional question of his eligibility stands answered. The Rs5 billion defamation notice remains unadjudicated, and the complaint to the Judicial Commission of Pakistan is still before the relevant forum.
FAQs
Why did the Pakistan Bar Council declare Ahsan Bhoon’s degrees genuine?
Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar had publicly questioned the authenticity of Bhoon’s law degree, prompting the council, the apex body for lawyers, to confirm that his degrees are genuine and that all members from the 2020 and 2025 elections were notified after verification.
What proof of verification exists for Bhoon’s degree?
His legal notice states he earned his LLB from Punjab University in 1989 and that the university’s Controller of Examinations re-verified the degree on January 21, 2026. The Pakistan Bar Council has now added its own institutional confirmation.
What happens to the Rs5 billion defamation notice against Captain Safdar?
Bhoon served the notice on September 29, demanding a retraction and an unconditional apology within seven days, with a warning of civil and criminal proceedings. The amount is a claimed figure and has not been decided by any court.
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Originally reported by The News.
