ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) on Saturday warned two public universities to restrict law classes to their main campuses only.

PBC Secretary Mohammad Arshad issued two letters to the registrars of Bahria University, Islamabad and University of Sargodha, cautioning them not to offer the law classes in their satellite campuses.

Earlier, on June 25, PBC had ceased to recognise the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology, Karachi as a law-degree awarding institution after the varsity opened campuses in Lahore and Islamabad and began offering LLB, LLM and PhD classes in violation of the PBC (Recognition of Universities) Rules 2005.

In their July 12 letter written to the Bahria University registrar, the PBC secretary asked the university authorities to refrain from commencing LLB classes at its Lahore campus.

Restrains Bahria, Sargodha University from offering LLB classes at sub-campuses

The letter warned that if the PBC warning was not taken seriously the council would be constrained not to proceed with processing university’s application to grant recognition and in that case, law graduates from the university would not be entitled to enrolment as advocates with any bar council on the basis of their degree.

The letter recalled that the PBC, on the recommendations of its Legal Education Committee (LEC), had decided to grant recognition to the Bahria University subject to the inspection of the university’s main campus at Islamabad and a satisfactory report in that regard.

The decision to grant recognition was also taken after submission of a written undertaking by the university management that the university would not offer affiliations to any private law college, nor would it hold law classes anywhere except for its main campus in Islamabad.

The secretary highlighted that the process of recognition of university by PBC is yet to be finalised.

The initiation of LLB classes by the Bahria University at its campus at Lahore is not only a violation of the rules but also contrary to the specific undertaking given by the university to this council, the letter said.

In a separate letter to the University of Sargodha registrar the secretary said the LEC in its last meeting had held that the university’s desire to conduct law classes in its campuses at Lahore, Mianwali, Bhakkar and Faisalabad was unjustified and in violation of the rules and therefore the request was declined.

The LEC recalled that the university was under legal and moral obligation in view of relevant provisions of the PBC rules and its own written undertaking given at the time of its recognition, to restrict its activity imparting legal education only within its main campus at Sargodha.

Ikram Junaidi adds: Dean of Faculty of Law Bahria University Ahmed Ali while talking to Dawn said that PBC had recognised Bahria University in 2010 to introduce Faculty of Law in Islamabad.

“After getting recognition from HEC there was no need to get permission from PBC to start LLB classes at any other campus but in September 2013 we sent a letter to PBC to permit us to start LLB in Lahore Campus,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2014