Syed Ali Zafar

Syed Ali Zafar (Urdu: علی ظفر ) is a Pakistani senator and barrister who was born and grew up in Lahore. He was President of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan from 2015 to 2016 and also was acting as Minister for Law and Justice of Pakistan from 5th June to 15th August in 2018. He remained President of the Pakistan chapter of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Law and a senior partner of Mandviwalla & Zafar, legal consultants. He is associated as vice-president of the Human Rights Society of Pakistan. He earned 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. He joined the present ruling party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), in 2019.

Politics

Zafar is senator for the Province of Punjab, Pakistan, in the seat of Technocrat for the ruling PTI party for the 2021–26 term. He took the oath as senator on 12 March and cast his votes for election of new chairman and deputy Chairman for the Senate.

He was appointed to discharge national responsibility as a caretaker Minister of Law and Justice for the 2018 general election in the cabinet of caretaker Prime Minister Nasirul Mulk and completed the interim Political period with transparency and merits.

He was candidate of the Independent group of Asma Jahangir and elected President of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan in 2015. He remained actively involved in legal politics, addressing and resolving various issues for the Bar and lawyers.

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 for the public and Pakistan.

Area of practice

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, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and banking laws, property law, mergers and acquisitions and alternative dispute resolution. He is known for his legal services in civil and criminal law and is a senior partner of the Mandviwalla & Zafar law firm.

Memberships

He is a member of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), and played a role as arbitrator in various international arbitrations. He is a Life Member of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan, and the Lahore High Court Bar Association. He is a visiting professor and delivers lectures at various law colleges or universities in Pakistan and abroad. He regularly acts as a judge in legal moots and competitions.