ISLAMABAD – An ugly dispute ahead of Supreme Court Bar elections has taken a political turn, and now Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar defended Ahsan Bhoon, backed Amjad Shah’s candidacy, and advised Captain (retd.) Safdar to stay away from bar election matters.
The political temperature surrounding the upcoming Supreme Court Bar elections has risen sharply, with Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar weighing in on the escalating controversy involving Captain (retd.) Safdar and Amjad Shah, the presidential candidate of the Independent Group.
Tarar said the dispute between Captain Safdar and Amjad Shah was personal in nature and linked to a plot-related matter in Mansehra, insisting that it should not be turned into a political issue. Tarar said PML-N Lawyers Forum had already announced its support for Amjad Shah. While calling Captain Safdar as a respectable individual, the law minister pointed out that he is neither a lawyer nor a member of the bar and therefore should stay away from bar elections and related affairs.
Tarar said that just as a person who is not a doctor should not unnecessarily criticize the elections or affairs of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, matters concerning the bar should likewise be addressed by the relevant members of the legal community.
The controversy took another turn when Tarar was asked about the campaign against prominent lawyer and bar leader Ahsan Bhoon. Calling Bhoon a “respected personality” who enjoys considerable standing within the lawyers’ community, Tarar highlighted the electoral record of his group, saying that over the past decade it had suffered defeat only once or twice.
According to Tarar, that electoral record reflects the confidence placed in Bhoon and his group by members of the legal fraternity. He further described the criticism being directed at Bhoon during the election season as nothing more than “cheap political tactics.”
Tarar also maintained that the bar’s existing electoral system and procedures were already adequate, pushing back against suggestions that the election process itself required major changes.
Questions surrounding Ahsan Bhoon’s academic credentials also surfaced during the interview. Tarar recalled that during the 2020 elections, Bhoon had taken the position before the court that the degrees and credentials of bar council regulators should be verified. Since Bhoon was himself a candidate at the time, Tarar said that his credentials, as well as those of Amjad Shah, were subjected to verification.
The law minister added that, to the best of his personal knowledge, there was nothing objectionable regarding Ahsan Bhoon’s degree.
Tarar reiterated that Captain (retd.) Safdar had no connection with the bar elections, effectively drawing a line between the former lawmaker and the ongoing electoral contest within the legal fraternity.
Tarar was also asked about Ahsan Bhoon’s support for a statement made by lawyer Mian Dawood concerning the Chief Minister of Punjab. The law minister avoided going into the substance of the controversy, instead urging caution in public discourse.
He said everyone speaking to the media should exercise “considerable control” over their language and should make measured and truthful statements. Tarar declined to comment further on the matter.
