LAHORE: The Punjab University Syndicate’s special committee has reportedly verified the degrees of two senior lawyers as “original and genuine” and the committee’s recommendations have reportedly been ratified by the Syndicate too in its following meeting.

The two lawyers, Shah Nawaz Ismail and Jamil Asghar Bhatti, have been running from pillar to post for verification of their degrees since their opponents filed a general petition ahead of the declaration of results of the elections of the Punjab Bar Council (PBC) in 2020.

Both lawyers have already served their tenures as PBC members, while Mr Bhatti also served as the council’s executive committee chairman.

The then Lahore High Court chief justice had directed the Punjab advocate general to get the candidates’ degrees verified, and eventually, the Punjab University submitted its report, verifying the degrees as “genuine”.

The LHC CJ, it is learnt, had turned down the university’s verification report and directed the then PU vice chancellor to file a fresh report. In the fresh report, it is alleged, Unfair Means Cases (UMCs) were made out by the PU against 15 candidates, including Mr Ismail and Mr Bhatti, alleging tampering in the result records. Consequently, the case of both candidates was remanded to the PU Syndicate for a fresh decision.

The Syndicate recently referred the matter to a special committee assigned to consider the cases of special chance and cancellation/quashment of result(s) of various students.

After due diligence and perusing the record, the 12-member special committee, chaired by Syndicate member Prof Dr Muhammad Nasir, on July 22, 2025, “unanimously upheld its May 19, 2023 decision, wherein the benefit of doubt was recommended to Shah Nawaz Ismail as university had already issued the result/degree to the candidate after due process. Moreover, his result was verified by the university”. Hence, it recommended, “The result/degree issued to the candidate is original and genuine”.

Similarly, in the case of Mr Bhatti, the committee, after going through the recommendations of the Disciplinary Committee, hearing the stance of the candidate, “unanimously decided to recommend the benefit of doubt to Mr Bhatti, considering the previous decision as university has already issued the result card/degree twice to the candidate”. Hence, the committee decided, “the result/degree issued to the candidate is original and genuine”.

While the Syndicate itself, in its meeting on September 23, reportedly approved the special committee recommendations, there are apprehensions the opponents were exerting pressure on the university administration so that the candidates are not given a clean chit.

Speaking to Dawn on the condition of anonymity, a couple of Syndicate members said the Syndicate had not objected to the recommendations of the special committee and the proceedings were audio recorded.

A member also commented that the special committee had given its recommendations after due diligence and Syndicate usually did not object until it was under pressure.

When contacted, special committee chairman Prof Muhammad Nasir, who is also a Syndicate member, opted not to comment to explain whether the Syndicate meeting objected to or ratified the special committee’s recommendations and suggested to wait for the issuance of validated proceedings by the university registrar .

Dawn also tried to reach Punjab University Registrar Ahmad Islam through repeated calls and messages, but he did not respond.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2025