Punjab Bar Council issues notices to 1,200 lawyers over degree verification

LAHORE: The Punjab Bar Council (PbBC) has served notices on 1,200 lawyers whose academic credentials could not be verified by the Higher Education Commission (HEC), asking them to complete the process by May 15 or face suspension of their licences to practise law.

The development was announced in a joint statement issued by PbBC Vice Chairman Khawaja Qaiser Butt and Executive Committee Chairman Fakhar Hayat Awan.

According to the statement, the HEC has not yet verified law degrees obtained by lawyers from a number of universities. These include Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai University, the University of Sindh, the University of Karachi, Gomal University, Mirpur University of Science and Technology, and Mohiuddin Islamic University.

The bar council directed all affected lawyers to get their degrees verified by the HEC and submit attested documents to the council no later than May 15.

The PbBC said lawyers who fail to meet the deadline would face immediate suspension of their practising licences if their degrees remain unverified. The statement added that further legal action would also be initiated against such individuals.

The council also announced a tougher approach for future enrolments. It said no applicant would be enrolled as a lawyer unless their degree had already been verified by the HEC.

Warning over fake credentials and irregular practice

In the same statement, the bar council said one final opportunity was being given to people impersonating lawyers, those holding fake degrees, and individuals practising law while employed in government or semi-government institutions to regularise their status.

The PbBC warned that once the deadline passes, it will not allow any relaxation in such cases.

The move signals a broader scrutiny of legal practitioners’ academic records and professional status by the provincial bar council. The statement made clear that the verification requirement would now be enforced both for existing licence holders whose credentials remain pending and for all future admissions to the legal profession through the council.

The notices specifically concern lawyers whose degrees could not be confirmed by the HEC, and the council has tied continuation of their legal practice to completion of that verification process within the stipulated period.

The announcement was published on April 28, 2026.