Ahsan Bhoon sends Rs5bn legal notice to Capt (retd) Safdar over degree remarks
Advocate Supreme Court Muhammad Ahsan Bhoon has served a Rs5 billion legal notice on Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar over an alleged statement questioning the authenticity of his LLB degree.
The notice states that the alleged remarks, in which Bhoon’s degree was described as fake, were baseless, contrary to facts and defamatory. Bhoon has demanded that Safdar immediately withdraw the statement if he made any claim on September 23 about the absence of his degree record.
Bhoon cites university verification
According to the legal notice, Bhoon obtained his LLB degree from the University of the Punjab in March 1989. It says Punjab Bar Council records show that he was enrolled as an advocate of the lower courts in 1989 and as an advocate of the high courts in 1992.
He was enrolled as an advocate of the Supreme Court on July 19, 2003, according to the notice.
The notice further states that the Controller of Examinations at the University of the Punjab verified Bhoon’s academic credentials on January 21, 2026.
It argues that the legal status of an academic degree cannot be determined merely through a public statement or allegation and says the remarks have affected Bhoon’s reputation, dignity and professional standing.
The notice warns Safdar that failure to comply with the demands would lead to legal proceedings against him.
Safdar demands lawyers produce degrees
The dispute comes amid a wider controversy surrounding the upcoming Supreme Court Bar Association elections and allegations concerning the academic credentials of lawyers.
Safdar has maintained that he would apologise if the lawyers concerned produced their degrees. He has also said he has filed an application against Bhoon before the Judicial Commission and complaints with cybercrime authorities and courts.
Safdar has also questioned the credentials of Supreme Court lawyer Syed Amjad Shah and alleged that lawyers with fake degrees were members of judicial bodies. These allegations have not been established by a court or other competent authority.
Tarar backs Bhoon
Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar has defended Bhoon and said his credentials were among those verified during the 2020 bar elections.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Tarar said Bhoon and Amjad Shah were among the candidates whose degrees were verified at the time. He said he was not aware of anything that raised questions over Bhoon’s degree and urged caution in reporting such allegations.
Tarar also said Safdar was neither a lawyer nor a member of a bar and should stay away from bar elections and related matters. He described Safdar’s dispute with Shah as a personal matter and said it should not be turned into a political issue.
The Pakistan Bar Council’s current records list Muhammad Ahsan Bhoon as a member of several council committees, including its Legal Education Committee, Appeal Committees and Disciplinary Committee.
Bar elections at centre of dispute
The controversy has emerged as lawyers prepare for the Supreme Court Bar Association elections. Bhoon has been a prominent figure in the bar, including serving as executive committee chairman of the Pakistan Bar Council from March 2015 to January 2016, according to the council’s records.
Tarar said the allegations against Bhoon had surfaced during the election period and urged that established bar mechanisms for verifying candidates’ credentials be relied upon.
The legal notice has now added a formal legal dimension to the dispute, with Bhoon seeking withdrawal of the alleged remarks and warning of further legal action if Safdar does not comply.