Ahsan Bhoon's degrees are valid

The University of the Punjab has verified the LLB and BA degrees of renowned lawyer Chaudhry Ahsan Bhoon, according to records available with the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), as Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz's husband Capt (retd) Muhammad Safdar intensifies his campaign against the government-backed Independent Group and raises questions over its members' professional credentials. It has transpired from records of the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) that the University of the Punjab has verified both the LLB and BA degrees of Chaudhry Ahsan Bhoon, who has been publicly questioned by Capt (retd) Muhammad Safdar over his professional credentials. According to the records, the PBC on December 19, 2025,wrote to the University of the Punjab seeking verification of the academic credentials of some of its members. Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Awan, in his capacity as chairman of the PBC, had directed the verification of the LLB and BA degrees of candidates whose academic records were available with the bar council. In response, the university administration, through the Controller of Examinations, informed PBC Secretary Gulzar Ahmad on January 21 that the LLB and BA degrees of six PBC members had been verified. A copy of the letter, now available with The Express Tribune, was also sent to the Higher Education Commission (HEC). The university verified the degrees of six PBC members, including Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar, Hafeez ur Rehman, Chaudhry Ahsan Bhoon, Tahir Nasrullah, Shafqat Mahmood and Syed Qalbi Hassan. According to the University of the Punjab's letter, Ahsan Bhoon's roll number in the LLB examination was 828 and his registration number was 81-GCB-8. He secured 321 out of 700 marks, placing him in the second division. The LLB first annual examination of 1985 was held in March 1989. The university also verified Bhoon's BA degree. The letter states that his roll number was 7563 and registration number 81-GCH-8. He obtained 406 out of 800 marks, securing a second division. The BA second annual examination of 1983 was held in July 1984. It is learnt that, following a request from the PBC, the university had also verified the LLB degrees of six members, including Ahsan Bhoon, in January 2021. Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz's husband, Capt (retd) Muhammad Safdar, has publicly questioned the professional credentials of presidential candidate Syed Amjad Shah and PBC leader Ahsan Bhoon. Safdar has submitted a complaint to the secretary of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), seeking an inquiry into Bhoon's "educational certificate, enrollment and professional credentials". In his complaint, Safdar alleged that information had come to his knowledge raising questions about the authenticity of the law degree on the basis of which Bhoon entered the legal profession. He claimed that the degree could allegedly be "fake, bogus or otherwise incapable of lawful verification". Safdar urged the commission to call for and independently verify the original record, arguing that the matter could not be ignored as Bhoon was a sitting member of the JCP. "The Commission considers the persons who may ultimately sit in judgment over the rights, liberties, property, and disputes of the people of Pakistan," Safdar said in his complaint. It is not clear whether the JCP will intervene in this matter or not. The campaign has generated debate within legal circles over Safdar's repeated targeting of Amjad Shah and Bhoon and whether his campaign is being conducted independently or has the backing of the PML-N leadership. It is learnt that one section of PML-N lawyers is fully backing Captain Safdar.