PU to verify degrees of 95 PbBC candidates

The Lahore High Court’s (LHC) Chief Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan has sought details of degree’s verification of total 95 candidates, who contested the Punjab Bar Council (PbBC) election from Lahore after the Punjab University confirmed fake degrees of seven contestants. The province’s top judge directed the representatives of PU to submit a detailed report by Wednesday (tomorrow) after verifying total 95 candidates who contested PbBC election (held on November 28 Saturday) from Lahore. Seven fake degree holders which PU confirmed include Mian Hafeez (Lahore), Rana Javed Bashir (Lahore), Mazhar Iqbal (Faisalabad), Syed Tahir Hussain Bukhari (Attock), Imran Sherazi (Narowal), Syed Tayab Sherazi (Sargodha) and Safdar Naul (Jhang).

The law officer told the court that they verified total 230 candidates out of which 223 were declared clear and seven amongst them proved to be fake degree holders. The CJ remarked: “I want verification of degrees of all 95 contesters by tomorrow.” The PU representatives assured the court that the varsity would act upon the court orders for them but it will be difficult to bring a record of said candidates at LHC. The representatives suggested that the court may appoint some people to visit PU along with them for verification if it is not convenient to all. The CJ directed the petitioner, law officer, representatives of PbBC to visit the PU along with officials who appeared before LHC for verification of degrees of the said candidates. However, the CJ Khan fixed the case on Tuesday (today) and sought a report from the PU by Wednesday (tomorrow).

Petitioner Gulzar Butt advocate of Supreme Court of Pakistan had challenged in LHC the conduct of Punjab Bar Council for allegedly not scrutinizing the degrees of thousands of lawyers in light of order passed on December 6, 2018, by the then Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar. Butt was also contesting PbBC’s elections held on November 28 but later decided not to contest election owing to the registration of thousands of lawyers whose degrees had yet to be verified.