LAHORE – Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) cleared the academic credentials of its member and senior lawyer Ahsan Bhoon after a complaint by Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar triggered scrutiny of his educational qualifications.
The development comes amid a growing legal dispute between the two, with Bhoon reportedly issuing a Rs5 billion defamation notice to Safdar over allegations concerning his law degree. The commission’s formal statement on the matter is still awaited.
JCP disposed of Safdar’s complaint on October 13 after taking into account the previous verification of Bhoon’s Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degrees. Both qualifications were reportedly found to be genuine.
Safdar, the husband of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and a former member of the National Assembly, publicly questioned Bhoon’s LLB degree, raising allegations about the authenticity of his academic credentials.
He later approached JCP secretary, asking the commission’s chairperson, Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi, and its members to investigate the matter and independently verify Bhoon’s qualifications.
His complaint sought a detailed examination of Bhoon’s admission year, period of study, graduation date, original degrees, transcripts, result cards and registration records. It also called for verification from Punjab University, the Higher Education Commission (HEC), the relevant provincial bar council and the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC).
The controversy centred on Bhoon’s LLB degree, which he obtained from Punjab University in March 1989. According to the available details, the degree was issued under roll number 828 and registration number 81-GCH-8, with Bhoon securing 321 marks out of 700 in the second division.
He also obtained his BA degree from Punjab University in 1984 under roll number 7563. The university had reportedly verified his academic credentials in 2021 and again in January 2026 during the Pakistan Bar Council election process.
Pakistan Bar Council also reportedly issued a statement on October 8–9, saying the degrees of members elected in its 2020 and 2025 elections, including Bhoon, had been verified by the relevant universities and the HEC and declared authentic. The verification process was completed under the supervision of the returning officer, the Attorney General for Pakistan, according to the reported statement.
These earlier verifications became central to the JCP’s reported decision to dispose of Safdar’s complaint.
As the dispute escalated, Bhoon reportedly served Safdar with a legal notice demanding Rs5 billion in damages over the allegations.
Bhoon called claims as baseless, factually incorrect and defamatory. He demanded that Safdar withdraw the allegations and issue an apology within seven days. He maintained that his academic qualifications were genuine and pointed to his decades-long legal career in support of his position.
He became an advocate of the lower courts in 1989, joined the high courts’ bar in 1992 and became an advocate of the Supreme Court in 2003. He has also served as a Lahore High Court judge, president of the Supreme Court Bar Association and vice-chairman of the Pakistan Bar Council.
