The syndicate of Karachi University announced on Saturday the cancellation of a degree and enrollment of a candidate believed to be a high court judge, following recommendations from its Unfair Means (UFM) Committee, Dawn reported.

This decision came shortly after the police detained Dr Riaz Ahmed, an academic and syndicate member, in what appeared to be an effort to prevent his attendance at the crucial meeting.

Dr Ahmed, an associate professor in the university’s applied chemistry department, was released later that evening, coinciding with the syndicate’s decision to revoke the degree.

After his release, the KU associate professor spoke with rights activists and media representatives, claiming that the degree in question belonged to Islamabad High Court judge Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri. But it could not be independently verified by the news outlet due to the unavailability of university officials for comment.

The decision was made during a syndicate meeting held on Saturday afternoon, after Dr Ahmed, an associate professor and syndicate member, raised objections regarding the agenda item related to the judge’s degree, which had been under scrutiny for 40 years. He claimed he was detained by police on Tipu Sultan Road around 1pm while en route to the meeting.

Despite his absence, the syndicate proceeded with its agenda, approving the cancellation of the law degree based on recommendations from the UFM Committee. A KU press release stated that the committee had found the candidate involved in “unethical and immoral acts,” though it did not specify the individual’s name.

The issue gained traction over two months ago when a letter allegedly from KU’s controller of examinations circulated on social media, raising questions about Justice Jahangiri’s law degree. The letter indicated that a candidate named Tariq Mehmood received his LLB degree in 1991, associated with enrolment number 5968.

However, “discrepancies” have emerged, as another individual, Imtiaz Ahmed, was enrolled in 1987 under the same enrolment number. The transcript for LLB Part I was issued in the name of Jahangiri. The letter clarified that the IHC judge actually enrolled for LLB Part I under a different enrolment number, 7124.

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While the letter did not label the degree as fraudulent, it did classify it as “invalid.” The explanation provided stated that the university assigns a single enrolment number for each degree programme, making it impossible for a student to have multiple enrolment numbers within the same programme.

Justice Jahangiri is one of six judges who previously filed a complaint with the Supreme Judicial Council, alleging interference in judicial matters by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Their complaint included disturbing claims of spy cameras found at the entrance and inside a judge’s bedroom, which they reported to the chief justice, but no action was taken.