The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Monday suspended an Islamabad High Court (IHC) order that had barred Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri from performing his judicial duties following allegations of holding a fake law degree.
A constitutional bench headed by Justice Aminuddin Khan set aside the IHC’s September 16 ruling and issued notices to the Attorney General’s Office, petitioner Dawood, and other relevant parties. Senior lawyer Munir A. Malik, appearing on behalf of Justice Jahangiri, argued for suspension of the IHC’s order, which the apex court granted.
Earlier, a two-member IHC bench — Chief Justice Sardar Sarfaraz Dogar and Justice Azam Khan — had directed Justice Jahangiri to step aside until the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) concluded its inquiry.
Judge’s reaction
Appearing at the Supreme Court alongside Justices Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani, Babar Sattar, Sardar Ijaz Ishaq, and Saman Rifat, Justice Jahangiri expressed his dismay over the allegations.
“They are cancelling my degree after 34 years — this has never happened in the history of the world,” he remarked.
When asked by a journalist about rumours of his resignation, Justice Jahangiri replied: “May Allah do good.”
Allegations of fake degree
The controversy dates back to July 2024, when the University of Karachi, in a series of official letters, declared Justice Jahangiri’s LL.B degree as allegedly fake.
According to university records:
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In 1989, Jahangiri appeared in LL.B Part One under Enrollment No. AIL 5968 as “Tariq Jahangiri, son of Muhammad Akram.”
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In 1991, he cleared LL.B Part Two under Enrollment No. AIL 7124/87 as “Tariq Mehmood, son of Qazi Muhammad Akram.”
However, officials revealed that Enrollment No. AIL 5968 was originally assigned to another student, Imtiaz Ahmad, raising serious doubts about the legitimacy of Jahangiri’s academic credentials.
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