Alleged fake degree: Pakistan Bar Council member put on notice

ABBOTTABAD: The Peshawar High Court (PHC), Abbottabad Circuit Bench, has issued a notice to a member of the Pakistan Bar Council to appear in person before the court along with his original LLB degree.

The court issued the notice while accepting a writ petition against the Pakistan Bar Council member Syed Amjad Shah, who was alleged to be holding a fake LLB degree. The court issued the notice to the respondent to appear in person along with his original degree of LLB at the next hearing into the case.

The court also directed the vice-chancellor of the University of Punjab, chairman of the Higher Education Commission, secretary of the Pakistan Bar Council and secretary KP Bar Council to provide their comments on February 16.

The two-member bench comprising Justice Shakeel Ahmed and Justice Ibrahim Khan accepted the writ petition No. 80-A/2022 filed by Hafiz Muhammad Nasim Khan Advocate through Asad Tanveer Qureshi and Syed Shah Faisal advocates.

The Attorney General of Pakistan, Advocate General Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Bar Council, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council, Vice-Chancellor University of Punjab, Chairman Higher Education Commission, Secretary Law Department KP, President, District Bar Association Abbottabad, President, High Court Bar Association Abbottabad, President, Supreme Court Bar Association Islamabad and Syed Amjad Shah were made respondents in the petition.

The petitioner prayed that status of respondent Syed Amjad Shah as Advocate / Member Pakistan Bar Council may be declared as illegal, unjustified, based upon fraud and forgery. He asked for initiating criminal proceedings against him besides cancelling his licences of lower courts, high court and Supreme Court and membership of all bar councils and bar associations. The petitioner asked the court to recover the financial losses caused by the respondent to the exchequer as a member of NWFP Bar Council since 2004-09, KP Bar council 2010-14 and Pakistan Bar Council since 2015-2020 and 2021 onwards. Providing a copy of the notification of the University of Punjab, the petitioner stated that the respondent, who appeared under roll No.2282with the name Syed Amjad Shah, son of Syed Muhammad Shah, had failed two subjects. Similarly, providing a copy of the fake verification, it stated that the respondent had shown himself passed and obtained 315/700 marks with second division.