Wasim Sajjad ( ur, ; born 30 March 1941) is a Pakistani

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

politician and lawyer who served as the acting president of Pakistan for two non-consecutive terms and as the Chairman of the Senate between 1988 and 1999. Born in

Jalandhar Jalandhar is the third most-populous city in the Indian state of Punjab and the largest city in Doaba region. Jalandhar lies alongside the Grand Trunk Road and is a well-connected rail and road junction. Jalandhar is northwest of the state ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

, Sajjad's father (Justice Sajjad Ahmad Jan) went on to serve as a judge of the Supreme Court, later becoming

Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan The Chief Election Commissioner is the authority and the appointed chair of the Election Commission of Pakistan— an institution constitutionally empowered to conduct free and fair elections to the national and provincial legislatures. Befor ...

. Sajjad studied at the Army Burn Hall before moving to

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

where he studied law at the Punjab University. As a Rhodes Scholar, he moved to Oxfordshire, where he received his

Bachelor of Civil Law Bachelor of Civil Law (abbreviated BCL, or B.C.L.; la, Baccalaureus Civilis Legis) is the name of various degrees in law conferred by English-language universities. The BCL originated as a postgraduate degree in the universities of Oxford and Cam ...

followed by a graduate degree in

Jurisprudence Jurisprudence, or legal theory, is the theoretical study of the propriety of law. Scholars of jurisprudence seek to explain the nature of law in its most general form and they also seek to achieve a deeper understanding of legal reasoning a ...

from the

Wadham College Wadham College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street and Parks Road. Wadham College was founded in 1610 by Dorothy W ...

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

in 1967. He was called to the Bar at the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and ...

in 1968. On return to Pakistan, Sajjad was admitted as a lawyer in Pakistan and joined the

Punjab Law College The University of Central Punjab ( ur, ) or UCP is a private university located in Khayaban-e-Jinnah Road, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan . One of the best university of Pakistan Recognized university University of Central Punjab is a part o ...

where he taught

constitutional law Constitutional law is a body of law which defines the role, powers, and structure of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the parliament or legislature, and the judiciary; as well as the basic rights of citizens and, in fe ...

between 1967 and 1977.

Political career

Sajjad was elected as to the Senate in 1985 as a member of the center-right

Muslim League Muslim League may refer to: Political parties Subcontinent ; British India *All-India Muslim League, Mohammed Ali Jinah, led the demand for the partition of India resulting in the creation of Pakistan. **Punjab Muslim League, a branch of the organ ...

and served as the Minister for Law and Justice from September 1986 to December 1988, until December 1988 when he was elected as

Chairman of the Senate The Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan ( ur, ), is the president-chair of the Senate of Pakistan. In 1999, Sajjad joined a defecting group that supported

General Musharraf General Pervez Musharraf ( ur, , Parvez Muśharraf; born 11 August 1943) is a former Pakistani politician and four-star general of the Pakistan Army who became the tenth president of Pakistan after the successful military takeover of th ...

's coup and became the Leader of the House in the

Senate of Pakistan Senate of Pakistan or Aiwān-e-Bālā Pākistān ( ur, , , literally "Pakistan upper house"), is the upper house, upper legislative chamber of the bicameral legislature of Pakistan, and together with the National Assembly (Pakistan), National As ...

in 2003, remaining until his political retirement in 2008. After the imposition of the coup by General

Pervez Musharraf General Pervez Musharraf ( ur, , Parvez Muśharraf; born 11 August 1943) is a former Pakistani politician and four-star general of the Pakistan Army who became the tenth president of Pakistan after the successful military takeover of t ...

, Sajjad joined the PML(Q) and again became a senator. This time he served as Leader of the House in the Senate of Pakistan from March 2003 to March 2008. Thereafter he served as Leader of the Opposition from 2010 until 2012. After retiring from politics, he has been serving as Chairman of the Foundation for Advancement of Science and Technology (FAST), and the chancellor of the National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences. In 2002, Sajjad was accused of mis-use of government vehicles and phones, amounting to millions of rupees. He was ordered to pay a fine, but served no time in jail.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sajjad, Wasim 1941 births Alumni of the Inns of Court School of Law Chairmen of the Senate of Pakistan Living people Members of the Inner Temple Pakistani lawyers Pakistani Rhodes Scholars People from Jalandhar Acting presidents of Pakistan Punjabi people Members of the Senate of Pakistan Federal ministers of Pakistan Army Burn Hall College alumni People from Lahore

Political career

See also

References

External links