Aitzaz Ahsan

Barrister Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan

Ex-President of the Supreme Court Bar

Association (Pakistan)

Preceded by Munir A. Malik

Succeeded by Ali Ahmad Kurd

27 September 1945 (1945-09-27)

Born (age 64)
Murree, Pakistan

Nationality Pakistan

Political party Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)

Spouse(s) Bushra Ahsan

Relations Ahsan hails from Punjab's Waraich clan

 of jats.

Residence Lahore, Pakistan

Profession Barrister-at-Law / Politician

Religion Islam

Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan (born 27 September 1945) is a Pakistani barrister and politician who
served as President of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan
He is married and a father of two daughters and a son, Ali Ahsan.

Contents
• 1 Early life and education
• 2 Professional life
○ 2.1 Political career
○ 2.2 As a lawyer
 2.2.1 Chief Justice case
○ 2.3 Human rights activist
○ 2.4 During and after Emergency
○ 2.5 Literary contribution
○ 2.6 Honours
• 3 See also
• 4 References
• 5 External links

Early life and education

Aitzaz Ahsan was born in Murree, Rawalpindi District, Punjab in 1945 during British rule. After
being educated at Aitchison College and the Government College, Lahore, Ahsan matriculated to
Downing College, Cambridge to study law, and was called to the Bar at Gray's Inn in 1967.[1]
Professional life
Political career
In 1975, Ahsan was elected to the Punjab Assembly after Chaudhry Anwar Samma, a member
representing the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), was murdered. After his election, Ahsan was
invited to join the cabinet and given the portfolio of information, planning and development.
After the police opened fire on a rally of lawyers during the PNA demonstrations against the
alleged rigging of elections by the PPP government in 1977, Ahsan resigned as a cabinet minister
in protest, and was later expelled from the PPP.[1]
Following the 1977 coup d'état of General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, Ahsan became involved in
the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy, and rejoined the PPP following the declaration
of martial law. For his participation in the MRD he was repeatedly imprisoned.[1] Ahsan was
elected to the National Assembly as a PPP candidate in 1988, serving as Minister for Law and
Justice, the Interior and Narcotics Control before winning re-election in 1990 and losing in 1993.
In 1994 he was elected to the Senate of Pakistan, where he sat as Leader of the Opposition until
1999. He was re-elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan as a Peoples Party candidate in the
2002 General Elections.[2]

Parliamentary session in 1998-1999. From Left: Chaudhry Muhammad Barjees Tahir, Ajmal
Khattak, Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, Benazir Bhutto.)
As a lawyer
A Senior Advocate in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, and senior partner of the firm Aitzaz
Ahsan & Associates Ahsan is a well respected Pakistani lawyer, consistently given the highest
rank by Chambers and Partners ranking of legal professionals [3]. He also made legal history of
by having defended two Prime Ministers in the court of law. Having previously fought cases in
defence of Benazir Bhutto in 2001 he took up a case in defence of former prime minister Nawaz
Sharif.
During his most recent tenure as a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan he was a
member of the Standing Committee on Interior and the Standing Committee on Public Accounts.
Chief Justice case
Main article: Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry (suspension)
Recently Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan and his team comprising of Shahid Saeed, Gohar Khan and
Nadeem Ahmed successfully represented Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Iftikhar Muhammad
Chaudhry's case in the Supreme Court of Pakistan [PLD 2007 SC 578]. They were pitted against
a team comprising of 16 senior lawyers representing the Federation in this misadventure. The
hearing was being conducted by a full court headed by Justice Khalil-ur-Rehman Ramday, and
the 13-member panel reinstated the Chief Justice declaring his suspension by Pervez Musharraf
regime "illegal."
Human rights activist
He is also a human rights activist and a founder and vice-president of the Human Rights
Commission of Pakistan. He has been incarcerated under arbitrary detention laws many times by
military and authoritarian regimes. During one such prolonged detention, he wrote The Indus
Saga. Aitzaz Ahsan has been selected in the world's top 2008 intellectuals.
During and after Emergency
Main article: 2007 Pakistani state of emergency
Aitzaz Ahsan was arrested soon after the declaration of emergency/martial law[4], [5]. At the time
he and his team [Shahid Saeed, Gohar Khan and Nadeem Ahmed] were arguing against the
eligibility of General Musharraf to contest the 2007 Presidential Elections before a full bench of
the Supreme Court of Pakistan. There have also rumours that he is being kept in solitary
confinement and being tortured. Recently, 33 US Senators wrote to President Musharraf to
release Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan immediately, as he is widely respected all around the world. He
withdrew his papers of nomination to run for the National Parliament, this in deference to
National Lawyers' Convention decision to boycott elections under Mr. Musharraf. It has lifted
his stature by putting the lawyers cause above his own.
Barrister Ahsan is succinct in his resolute to restore democracy and pre-emergency judiciary in
Pakistan with peaceful resistance. He was rearrested during his three days reprieve for
celebrating religious holiday; when he decided to offer prayers with Mr. Iftikhar Chaudhry and
was heading to Islamabad. He has served detention in his house for 90 days and has declared his
detention as illegal. It is reported (Nawaiwaqt 19 Jan 2008), with a dour determination he refused
to abandon restoration of judiciary movement and was reticent to negotiate when approached by
Attorney General. His role in PPP after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto will be pivotal since
he commands the respect of representatives of Punjab, the nations lawyers; elected President of
Supreme Court Bar Association by an overwhelming majority, and public at large.
Aitzaz Ahsan, has been awarded the Asian Human Rights Defender Award by the Hong Kong-
based Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) along with Munir A Malik (past President
SCBA)(Dawn 23 Jan 2008). The annual Award for Distinction in International Law and Affairs
will be presented to Aitzaz Ahsan in asbentia as more than 5,000 lawyers gather for the annual
meeting of the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA). Freed for two days, Mr. Ahsan was
rearrested for 30 days on 2 February 2008 before he was to board a flight to Sindh to offer his
condolences to Benazir Bhutto's husband (Dawn 2 February 2008).
Literary contribution
He has also authored the book The Indus Saga and the Making of Pakistan and its Urdu
translation, Sindh Sagar Aur Qyam-e-Pakistan which presents the cultural history of Pakistan.[6]
He has also co-authored the book Divided by Democracy with Lord Meghnad Desai of the
London School of Economics.[7]
Honours
Aitzaz Ahsan has been admitted to an Honorary Fellowship at Downing College, one of the
constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge.[8] In an Internet poll of the US magazine
Foreign Policy, Ahsan was voted one of the top 100 public intellectuals in the world in May
2008.[9]
See also
• Pakistan Bar Council (PBC)
• Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan (SCBA)
• Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim
References
 1. ^ a b c "Aitzaz Ahsan : AitzazAhsan.com". Aitzaz Ahsan. http://www.aitzazahsan.com/profile.htm.
Retrieved 2009-11-10.
2. ^ "PPP - Aitzaz Ahsan's profile". Pakistani People's Party.
http://www.elections.com.pk/candidatedetails.php?id=1242. Retrieved 2009-11-10.
3. ^ Aitzaz Ahsan Firm profile
4. ^ youtube video 1
5. ^ youtube video 2
6. ^ Aitzaz Ahsan representative for NA-124 , Lahore-VII
7. ^ Divided by Democracy/Meghnad Desai and Aitzaz Ahsan. New Delhi, Roli, 2005
8. ^ Aitzaz Ahsan Honorary Fellow - Downing College Cambridge
9. ^ Foreign Policy: Top 100 Intellectuals

External links
• AitzazAhsan.com
• New York Times story, Nov 2007
• New York Times story, July 2007
• 2003 Interview
• PILDAT profile
• Read Columns for Aitzaz Ahsan at IBITIANS.com (Urdu)

Political offices

Preceded by Interior Minister of Pakistan Succeeded by

Malik Nasim Ahmed Aheer 1988 – 1990 Mian Zahid Sarfraz