{
  "id": 10164860,
  "title": "Captain Safdar sparks fresh debate over authenticity of lawyers’ degrees",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/27/captain-safdar-sparks-fresh-debate-over-authenticity-of-lawyers-10164860",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-27T02:25:44.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn",
    "slug": "dawn",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2032927/captain-safdar-sparks-fresh-debate-over-authenticity-of-lawyers-degrees"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Islamabad: In the weeks leading up to the upcoming Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) elections on October 29, the spouse of Punjab Chief Minister Captain Mohammad Safdar has ignited a new discussion regarding the authenticity of lawyers' degrees, especially among those vying for the association's highest office. The SCBA elections are set to take place, with the Independent Group, led by Asma Jahangir, nominating Syed Amjad Ali Shah for the presidency, while the Professional Group, headed by Hamid Khan, has put forward Sardar Aman Khan. Safdar has taken the initiative to establish his own group, the Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah Group, and has extended an invitation to lawyers to join it, also pledging to participate in the SCBA elections.\n\nSafdar has publicly accused one of the presidential candidates of having a fraudulent law degree, urging verification of the degrees of several prominent lawyers, including Ahsan Bhoon, a close ally of Justice Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and a former SCBA president. Bhoon, who is now a member of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan, heads the Independent Group. Safdar has also expressed concerns about certain lawyers charging clients on a \"done basis,\" which refers to charging exorbitant fees while guaranteeing a 100% favorable court outcome. He emphasized that such practices need to be halted, and lawyers with dubious credentials should be removed from the legal profession.\n\nShafqat Chohan, a member of the Pakistan Bar Council and a representative of the Professional Group, supported Safdar's demand, asserting that all candidates vying for SCBA positions should hold valid law degrees. Senior lawyer Muhammad Siddique Awan, a key member of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Lawyers Forum, called for the verification of the degrees of candidates contesting the SCBA elections from both groups, suggesting that the verification process should eventually encompass all 5,000 members of the SCBA. Awan highlighted that several lawyers have been previously identified with invalid or counterfeit degrees, and he referred to the recent case of Islamabad High Court judge Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, who was removed from office due to concerns over the validity of his law degree.\n\nIn response to Safdar's allegations, the presidential candidate of the Independent Group, Syed Amjad Ali Shah, claimed that the accusations were driven by a personal vendetta. Shah alleged that Safdar wanted him to represent a client in a property dispute in Mansehra involving the brother of a former Supreme Court judge. Shah stated that he declined to act as counsel due to his proximity to the parties involved and Safdar's subsequent interpretation of his refusal as an act of disobedience. Shah contended that Safdar's allegations should have been addressed through proper legal and institutional channels rather than through the media. He also suggested that Safdar's behavior had caused resentment among local notables in Mansehra, potentially contributing to Nawaz Sharif's inability to secure a National Assembly seat from the district during the elections.",
  "summary": "ISLAMABAD: Weeks ahead of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) elections, spouse of the Punjab chief minister retired Captain Mohammad Safdar has sparked a fresh debate over the authenticity of lawyers’ degrees, particularly those of candidates contesting the association’s top office. The SCBA elections are scheduled for Oct 29, with the Independent Group, also known as the Asma Jahangir…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}