Syed Ali Zafar

Syed Ali Zafar (Urdu: علی ظفر ) is a Pakistani senator and barrister from Lahore.^[1] He served as President of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan from 2015 to 2016 and as acting Minister for Law and Justice from June 5 to August 25, 2018.

Syed Ali Zafar
Member of the Senate of Pakistan
Incumbent
Assumed office March 2021
President	Arif Alvi Asif Ali Zardari
Prime Minister	Imran Khan Shehbaz Sharif Anwaar ul Haq Kakar Shehbaz Sharif
Federal Minister for Law and Justice
Caretaker
In office 5 June 2018 – 15 August 2018
President	Mamnoon Hussain
Prime Minister	Nasirul Mulk
Preceded by	Chaudhry Mehmood Bashir
Succeeded by	Farogh Naseem
President Supreme Court of Pakistan
In office 2015–2016
Personal details
Born	Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Political party	PTI (2019-present)
Parent	Syed Muhammad Zafar (father)
Alma mater	London School of Economics
Profession	Barrister, advisor and consultant

He is currently the President of the Pakistan chapter of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Law and a senior partner at Mandviwalla & Zafar, legal consultants. He also is the vice-president of the Human Rights Society of Pakistan. He obtained his Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from the London School of Economics in 1983 and was called to the Bar in England and Wales in 1984. He is also a political analyst and regularly writes in The Express Tribune on various political, social and legal issues of Pakistan.^[2] He joined the present ruling party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), in 2019.^[3]

Lahore High Court

Politics

Zafar is a senator for the Province of Punjab for the ruling PTI party for the 2021–26 term. He took the oath as senator on 12 March 2021 and cast his votes for the election of new chairman and deputy Chairman for the Senate.^[4][5]

He was appointed as a caretaker Minister of Law and Justice for the 2018 general election in the cabinet of caretaker Prime Minister Nasirul Mulk.^[6]

He was a candidate of the Independent group of Asma Jahangir and was elected President of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan in 2015.^{[citation needed]}

Following in the footsteps of his father, S.M. Zafar, Zafar entered national politics. He joined Imran Khan, president of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, to render his services to the people of Pakistan.^[7]

Area of practice

Supreme Court of Pakistan

Zafar has over 31 years of experience as a practicing barrister at the Supreme Court and High Courts of Pakistan. He has worked with several different branches of the law, including administrative law, banking laws, property law, mergers and acquisitions, alternative dispute resolution as well as at the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). He is known for his legal services in civil and criminal law and is a senior partner of the Mandviwalla & Zafar law firm.^[8]

Memberships

He is a member of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), and played a role as an arbitrator in various international arbitrations. He is a Life Member of both the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan and the Lahore High Court Bar Association.^{[citation needed]}

Zafar has contributed significantly to legal education and professional development in Pakistan. He has served as a visiting professor, delivering lectures at various law colleges and universities, including the Pakistan College of Law (PCL).^[9] His lectures have encompassed a wide range of topics such as digital rights, cybersecurity, and interfaith harmony.

In addition to his academic engagements, Zafar has actively participated in moot court competitions as a judge. Notably, he served on the judging panel for the 4th Annual Pakistan College of Law National Moot Court Competition in 2017, where he evaluated participants' performances.^[10][11]

See also

• Law portal

• Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan
• Lahore High Court Bar Association
• S.M. Zafar