A property conflict in Mansehra has intensified into a nationwide campaign targeting fake law degrees, drawing prominent figures into the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) election fray. Capt (retd) Safdar, spouse of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, leads the charge, pledging to cleanse the legal community of fraudulent credentials.
At the heart of this campaign lies a five-year-old dispute between Safdar and former Supreme Court judge Ejaz Afzal Khan over a jointly owned property in Dara village, Mansehra. Safdar’s father, Mohammad Ishaque, purchased a 10-kanal portion of a 164-kanal estate in 1997 and gifted it to Safdar two years later. Safdar asserts that his family has possessed this land for 25 years.
Meanwhile, Justice Ejaz’s family, which owns 85 kanals of the adjacent land, accuses Safdar of unlawfully taking control of the valuable front section of the shared property and the adjoining communal land (shamilat). The legal dispute began in April 2021 when a petition was filed in the Peshawar High Court alleging that Safdar and his brothers entered the joint land with armed men, bulldozed parts of it, and erected a boundary wall.
Justice Ejaz’s family claims their complaints to the police went unheeded. In response, Safdar’s elder brother and then-MNA Sajjad Awan alleged that guards employed by Justice Ejaz’s family opened fire during the boundary wall construction. The police initially refused to register an FIR, prompting Awan to escalate the matter to the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Law. Following the committee’s intervention, the FIR was registered, but the Mansehra District Bar Association demanded its cancellation and organized a strike in the district court.
The Peshawar High Court subsequently stayed proceedings against the judge’s family. Another case was filed by Justice Ejaz’s family in the district court alleging illegal possession by Safdar’s side. During a court hearing, tensions flared into a scuffle between supporters of both parties, with accusations exchanged on the spot. To date, no definitive ruling on ownership or possession has been issued.
Syed Amjad Ali Shah, an Independent Group candidate for the SCBA presidency from the same region and reportedly close to Justice Ejaz, is believed to have influenced the judge’s legal battle against Safdar’s family. Amjad revealed that Safdar once approached him to serve as his lawyer, but he declined to avoid involvement in the dispute. Safdar denies ever meeting Amjad.
The controversy over Amjad’s own law degree first emerged in 2022 when fellow lawyers challenged its validity before the Peshawar High Court as he vied for Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) membership, also seeking his de-notification. Court records showed he had passed his LLB from Punjab University. This degree issue has resurfaced amid Amjad’s campaign for the SCBA’s top position. While previous challenges came from rival PBC candidates, Safdar launched his campaign against fake degrees on September 23, personally taking up the cause.
Safdar states the degree matter has advanced from the Peshawar High Court to a constitutional bench. Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar, also aligned with the Independent Group, has tried to mediate, organizing several jirgas, including ones facilitated by the National Assembly speaker and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. However, Safdar remains resolute, claiming his father was insulted by district bar members allegedly instigated by the opposing side. He demands Amjad’s disqualification as a candidate.
Another senior Independent Group figure and strong Amjad supporter, Ahsan Bhoon, has also been implicated in Safdar’s expanding fake degree allegations. Safdar referenced a lawyer who challenged his own LLB and faced an anti-terrorism case. Bhoon, a member of the judicial commission, along with Law Minister Tarar, holds significant sway over the bench and bar. Bhoon denies the accusations and has served Safdar with a defamation notice seeking Rs5 billion in damages. The notice states Bhoon’s LLB from Punjab University in 1989 was verified by the controller of examinations in January during a Pakistan Bar Council review.
