Capt (retd) Safdar says he will apologise if lawyers show their degrees

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar has said he will apologise to lawyers if they produce their academic degrees, amid an ongoing dispute over allegations concerning legal qualifications.

Speaking to the media outside the Supreme Court, Safdar said the debate over allegedly fake degrees had resurfaced in the country. He recalled that politicians had also faced controversies over their academic qualifications in the past.

Safdar criticised Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar over his recent remarks on the issue, claiming that the minister’s statements had weakened his position in the matter.

He said Tarar was younger than him in politics and argued that the law minister should take a strong position against fake degrees.

Safdar also clarified that he was pursuing the matter independently of political considerations. “PML-N is our party, but I am doing this work beyond politics,” he said.

His comments came amid a dispute involving senior lawyer Ahsan Bhoon and another legal figure, Amjad Shah. Tarar had previously said that Safdar had a personal dispute with Amjad Shah and should not turn the matter into a political issue.

Meanwhile, senior lawyer Ahsan Bhoon has served a Rs5 billion defamation notice on Safdar.

The legal notice was reportedly issued over what Bhoon described as false and seriously defamatory allegations regarding his educational qualifications and status as a lawyer.

According to the notice, Safdar had made allegations questioning Bhoon’s academic credentials and professional qualification. Bhoon has sought damages over the remarks.

The dispute has brought renewed attention to questions surrounding lawyers’ academic credentials and professional qualifications, with the matter now involving public statements and potential legal proceedings.