Syed Muhammad Zafar (born 6th of December 1930) is one of the more prominent Pakistani
human rights activist
Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...
s, a noted lawyer (
Senior Advocate Supreme Court), a politician and a former member of the
Senate of Pakistan. For some time, he was affiliated with the
Pakistan Muslim League (Q)
The Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid e Azam Group) ur, ; ''Pākistān Muslim Līg (Qāf)'', Acronyms: PML(Q), PML-Q, PMLQ, "Q League") is a Conservative nationalist political party in Pakistan. As of the 2018 parliamentary election, it has a re ...
.
[Senior lawyer SM Zafar instructed by wife amid television show on Panama verdict]
''Daily Pakistan Global'' (newspaper), Published 29 July 2017, Retrieved 14 May 2018
Career
Zafar began his career as a lawyer in the 1950s.
[ He played an important role during the 1958 imposition of martial law in Pakistan and again in forcing amendments to Constitution of Pakistan of 1962, which at first did not have sufficient protections for basic human rights. After serving as a judge of the high court and as Pakistan's Minister for Law and Justice from 1965 to 1969,][ Zafar retired from the government in 1968 and started his own law practice.][
Zafar and a few of his contemporaries founded the Human Rights Society of Pakistan in 1976.][
He was awarded an honorary PhD degree in law at the University of the Punjab's 124th convocation. He retired from active law practice in 2014.][
]
Official posts
*Federal Minister for Law and Justice (Pakistan)
The Law Minister of Pakistan heads the Ministry of Law and Justice. They serves in the cabinet of the Prime Minister.
List of ministers
*Jogendra Nath Mandal (1947–1951)
*Pirzada Abdus Sattar Abdur Rahman (1951–1953)
*A.K. Brohi (1953– ...
(1965–69)[
*President High Court Bar Association, Lahore (1975)
*President, Pakistan's Supreme Court Bar Association (1979)][
*Chairman, Human Right Society of Pakistan][
*Chancellor of Hamdard University
]
News media commentator
After retirement from his official government service in 1968, he has been a frequent commentator on current affairs in Pakistan.[Masses want no conflict in institutions: S.M. Zafar]
Dawn (newspaper), Published 26 February 2018, Retrieved 14 May 2018
Personal life
Zafar was born on 6 December 1930 in Rangoon
Yangon ( my, ရန်ကုန်; ; ), formerly spelled as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar (also known as Burma). Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military government ...
, Burma, where his father worked in the construction business.Shakargarh
Shakargarh ( ur, ), the capital of Shakargarh Tehsil, is a city in the north-eastern part of Narowal District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It borders Jammu, India to the north and Sialkot to the west Its literacy rate is more than 85% wh ...
in Punjab. Following the Japanese occupation of Burma
The Japanese occupation of Burma was the period between 1942 and 1945 during World War II, when Burma was occupied by the Empire of Japan. The Japanese had assisted formation of the Burma Independence Army, and trained the Thirty Comrades, who ...
, his family returned to their native village in 1944.
Bibliography
* ''Through the Crisis'' (1971)
* ''Who is Dictator?'' (Urdu: ''Dictator kaun?'')
* ''People, Parliament and Islam'' (Urdu: ''Awam, parliament and Islam'')[
* ''Hajj – A Journey in Obedience''][
* ''Views & Reviews'' (Urdu: ''Tazkaray-Jaizay'')
* ''Understanding Statutes'' (1997)
* ''My Popular Law Cases'' (Urdu: ''Mere Mashoor Mukkadamay'') (میرے مشہور مقدمے)
* ''Pakistan Benaam Corruption'' (Urdu translation: ''Awam KI Adalat Mein'')
* ''Politics in the Court of Law'' (Urdu: ''Adalat Mein Siyasat'')
* ''Dialogues on the Political Chess Board''
* ''Be a Competent Lawyer'' (2014)][
]
References
External links
August/September 1996, Page 78 Meet the Pakistanis S.M. Zafar—An Effective Legal Advocate for Human Rights by Richard H. Curtiss
Living people
1930 births
Members of the Senate of Pakistan
Pakistani civil rights activists
Pakistani expatriates in Myanmar
Pakistani human rights activists
Pakistani lawyers
Pakistan Muslim League (Q) politicians
People from Narowal District
Punjabi people
People from Lahore
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