ISLAMABAD – President Asif Ali Zardari approved de-notification of Islamabad High Court (IHC) Justice Tariq Mahmood Jahangiri, after court ruling declaring his appointment illegal due to allegations of a fake law degree.
According to a statement from Presidency, the decision was taken on the advice of PM Shehbaz Sharif and in compliance with the Islamabad High Court’s verdict. Justice Jahangiri, who was appointed in December 2020 during the PTI government, has been at the center of a highly controversial case surrounding the authenticity of his LLB degree from Karachi University’s Islamia Law College.
A two-member bench of court, led by Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar, declared Justice Jahangiri’s appointment illegal. The verdict stated that under Article 175 of the Constitution, he did not meet the qualifications required for judicial office, as his LLB degree was invalid at the time of appointment. The court ordered that he no longer holds the position of judge and directed the Ministry of Law to de-notify him immediately.
Justice Jahangiri did not appear in court and was represented by Akram Sheikh, Advocate, and Barrister Salahuddin. During the proceedings, Karachi University’s Registrar Imran Siddiqui revealed that Jahangiri’s degree had been formally cancelled, confirming that he had never been a student at Islamia Law College. The registrar also claimed that Jahangiri had used a fake enrollment form to sit for the LLB exam after previously being caught cheating and banned for three years.
Justice Jahangiri’s lawyers argued that the ruling violated his constitutional right to a fair trial under Article 10-A. They claimed that the IHC Chief Justice had no authority to bar a judge from performing judicial duties, insisting that only the Supreme Judicial Council could exercise such power under Article 209.
Barrister Salahuddin stressed that this was not a case of a fake degree but of procedural irregularities, highlighting that Karachi University had initially issued the degree before cancelling it decades later. He criticised the ongoing propaganda campaign over the past 1.5 years against his client.
This is said to be second time in Pakistan’s history that a judge’s educational credentials have been publicly questioned. Previously, Supreme Court judge Safdar Shah faced allegations regarding his intermediate certificate obtained from India during the Zia-ul-Haq era.
The controversy started in July last year, when lawyer Mian Daud filed a petition questioning the authenticity of Jahangiri’s LLB degree. The case was referred through several Chief Justices, and petitions were filed in both the Sindh High Court and the Supreme Court. Sindh High Court had initially issued a stay order, and the Islamabad High Court Bar Association became a party to the case.
Despite these delays, Karachi University later confirmed in a press release that Jahangiri’s LLB enrollment number 7124/87 and seat number 22857 had been cancelled in August 2024, imposing a three-year ban on enrollment or exam participation.
Jahangiri served as Advocate General Islamabad under the PML-N government and Deputy Attorney General under the PPP government. He represented former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in the LNG reference case and presided over benches in the IHC that drew media attention, including granting blanket protection to former PM Imran Khan in unregistered cases in 2023.
He was also one of the judges who, in March 2024, raised alarms about alleged interference by military intelligence agencies in judicial matters, including personal surveillance and administrative transfers of judges from Lahore, Sindh, and Balochistan High Courts to Islamabad.
Justice Jahangiri’s de-notification is a historic and sensational event in Pakistan’s judiciary, stirring debates over judicial accountability, transparency, and political influence in appointments. The case highlights longstanding tensions within Pakistan’s higher judiciary and raises questions about vetting processes for judicial appointments.
Justice Tariq Jahangiri declared ineligible to serve over Fake Degree Scandal
