Judicial Scandal in Pakistan: Judge's Appointment Declared Invalid

Overview of the Judicial Scandal

A shocking revelation has emerged from Pakistan's judicial system, as the Islamabad High Court released a comprehensive 116-page ruling regarding the dismissal of Judge Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri. The court found that his appointment was made “without lawful authority” due to his lack of a legitimate law degree. A report from Dawn indicates that a division bench, led by Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Azam Khan, concluded that Jahangiri’s foundational law degree was null from the outset, making his position on the high court legally void. The University of Karachi's registrar provided records indicating that Jahangiri's academic qualifications were marred by "fraud, impersonation, and an intentional effort to bypass a disciplinary ban."

Details of the Fraudulent Activities

The fraudulent activities began when Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri first attempted his LL.B. Part-I examination in 1988 using a fictitious enrolment number. He was subsequently caught cheating and faced a three-year disqualification as per a university circular issued in 1989. Instead of adhering to this ban, Jahangiri opted for a path of deceit, reappearing in the 1990 examinations under a different name, “Tariq Jahangiri,” while utilizing an enrolment number that belonged to another student, Imtiaz Ahmad. He later took the LL.B. Part-II exams under his real name but with yet another enrolment number. The bench noted that the university only assigns one enrolment number per program, making it “impossible” for a student to have multiple numbers for the same degree. As a result, his mark sheets and degree were deemed invalid. Furthermore, the principal of Government Islamia Law College testified that Jahangiri “was never admitted” to the institution, a statement that the bench found particularly damaging.