Obituary – Syed Shareefuddin Pirzada

Obituary – Syed Shareefuddin Pirzada

Today, one of the finest legal minds of Pakistan, who undoubtedly remained a renowned lawyer since the independence of the country, died at the age of 94.

Born in the year 1923, Syed Shareefuddin Pirzada was the son of a notable barrister and started his career working as an assistant to Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the year 1941 in Bombay.

He served as Attorney General of Pakistan for various terms, as Foreign Minister of Pakistan and as the first Executive Chair of the Pakistan Bar Council. He led the Pakistani delegation a number of times to the UN General Assembly and addressed United Nations Security Council (UNSC) various times. He was also awarded Nishan-i-Imtiaz in the year 1998.

Even though he was criticized for lending his services to military dictators in Pakistan, he always defended his position by arguing that he was a lawyer and gave professional advice to anyone seeking it.