ISLAMABAD: A years-long property dispute in Mansehra has spilled into the national legal arena, with questions over lawyers’ academic credentials becoming a contentious issue ahead of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) elections.
At the centre of the controversy is Capt (retd) Safdar, husband of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, who has launched a campaign against what he describes as fake degrees in the legal fraternity and demanded the replacement of Syed Amjad Ali Shah as a presidential candidate in the SCBA election.
The controversy has roots in a property dispute dating back several years between Safdar’s family and the family of former Supreme Court judge Ejaz Afzal Khan.
Property Dispute in Mansehra
The dispute concerns jointly held property in Dara village, Mansehra. Safdar’s father, Mohammad Ishaque, purchased a 10-kanal portion of a 164-kanal holding in 1997 and gifted it to his son two years later.
Safdar maintains that the land has remained in his family’s possession for around 25 years. Justice Ejaz’s family, which owns about 85 kanals of adjoining land, has alleged that Safdar occupied the valuable front portion of the jointly held property as well as adjoining communal land.
The legal dispute intensified in April 2021 when a petition filed in the Peshawar High Court accused Safdar and his brothers of entering the jointly owned land with armed companions, using bulldozers and constructing a boundary wall.
Safdar’s elder brother, former MNA Sajjad Awan, made counter-allegations, claiming guards associated with Justice Ejaz’s family opened fire while the wall was being constructed.
The matter subsequently involved the police, the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Law, the Mansehra District Bar Association and the Peshawar High Court.
A separate case concerning alleged illegal possession was also filed by Justice Ejaz’s family. According to the account provided, no final decree determining title or possession has yet been issued.
Amjad Shah’s Degree Comes Under Spotlight
The dispute has now become intertwined with the SCBA election because presidential candidate Syed Amjad Ali Shah comes from the same area and is considered close to Justice Ejaz.
Amjad has said Safdar previously approached him to represent him as a lawyer in the property dispute, an offer he declined. Safdar disputes this account and says he never met Amjad.
Questions concerning Amjad’s law degree were previously raised in 2022 when other lawyers challenged his credentials before the Peshawar High Court while he was contesting for membership of the Pakistan Bar Council.
According to records referred to in the supplied account, documents presented before the court indicated that Amjad had passed his LLB examination from Punjab University.
The controversy has resurfaced during his campaign for the SCBA presidency, with Safdar taking up the issue and demanding that Amjad be replaced as the candidate.
Attempts at Settlement
Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar, who also belongs to the Independent Group, has attempted to facilitate a settlement. Several jirgas have reportedly been held, including efforts involving the National Assembly speaker and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Safdar, however, has maintained his position and demanded a change in the Independent Group’s presidential candidate.
Senior lawyer Ahsan Bhoon, another prominent member of the Independent Group and supporter of Amjad, has also faced allegations from Safdar concerning his academic credentials.
Bhoon has denied the allegations and served Safdar with a defamation notice seeking Rs5 billion in damages.
According to the notice cited in the supplied report, Bhoon’s LLB degree from Punjab University, obtained in 1989, was marked “verified” by the university’s controller of examinations in January during a Pakistan Bar Council scrutiny process.
The dispute has consequently expanded beyond the original Mansehra property litigation, bringing personal allegations, questions over lawyers’ credentials and internal legal politics into focus ahead of the SCBA election.
 Safdar has spilled into the SCBA election amid allegations over lawyers’ degrees and calls to replace presidential candidate Syed Amjad Ali Shah.){kind=link}