Asif Saeed Khosa – Journey to become the 26th Chief Justice of Pakistan

Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, the 26th and current Chief Justice of Pakistan, holding the office since 18 January 2019 was born in Dera Gazi Khan on Dec 21, 1954. He was elevated and appointed as a judge of Supreme Court on 18 February 2010 and prior to that served as judge of the Lahore High Court.

Justice Khosa is being considered the most relentless judge in the larger bench of the “Panama Case”. The final verdict issued by the larger bench on the “Panama Case” against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family has proposed a JIT within 60 days. In the final verdict, Justice Khosa and Justice Gulzar in their remarks disqualified Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from running for office.

Their statement states:

THE ELECTION COMMISSION OF PAKISTAN IS DIRECTED TO ISSUE A NOTIFICATION OF DISQUALIFICATION OF RESPONDENT NO. 1 NAMELY MIAN MUHAMMAD NAWAZ SHARIF FROM BEING A MEMBER OF THE MAJLIS-E-SHURA (PARLIAMENT) WITH EFFECT FROM THE DATE OF ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE PRESENT JUDGMENT.

With CJP Saqib Nisar as Justice Asif Saeed Khosa prepares to takeover.

Education:

Matriculation: Fifth position in the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Multan in 1969. Awarded the National Talent Scholarship

Intermediate: First position in the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Lahore in 1971 (Government College, Lahore). Awarded the National Talent Scholarship

B.A.: First position in the University of Punjab in 1973
Government College, Lahore. Awarded the National Talent Scholarship

M.A.: Master of Arts degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Punjab in 1975

Tripos-I: Law Tripos, Part I, from Queens’ College, University of Cambridge, the United Kingdom in 1977

LL.M.: Master of Laws degree from Queens’ College, University of Cambridge, the United Kingdom in 1978 with specialization in Public International Law in the subjects of the Law of Peace, the Law of War and Armed Conflict, the Law of International Institutions and the Law of Civil Liberties

Barrister-at-Law: Called to the Bar on 26.07.1979 at the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn, London, United Kingdom

Legal practice:

Enrolled as Advocate of the Lahore High Court on 13.11.1979.

Enrolled as Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on 12.09.1985.

Handled thousands of cases of constitutional, criminal, civil, service, revenue and election laws as an Advocate Supreme Court and High Court.

Over 600 cases conducted as an Advocate reported in various Law Reports of the country.

Served as a Member of the Library Committee and as a Member of the Executive Committee of the Lahore High Court Bar Association, Lahore

Publications:

First book: ‘Heeding the Constitution’. (published in 1995 by PLD Publishers, 35-Nabha Road, Lahore, Pakistan)

Second book: ‘Constitutional Apologues’. (published in 1997 by Kausar Brothers, I-Turner Road, Lahore, Pakistan)

Edited and compiled ‘The Constitution of Pakistan, 1973’ with all amendments up to date. (published in 1989 by Kausar Brothers, I-Turner Road, Lahore, Pakistan and reprinted every year)

Third book: ‘Judging with Passion’. (published in 2008 by Kausar Brothers, I-Turner Road, Lahore, Pakistan)

Fourth book: ‘Breaking New Ground’. (in the process of completion)

Chief Editor of Key Law Reports (KLR) from 1989 to 1998. Scores of articles and research papers on diverse constitutional and legal issues published in major law reports and newspapers of the country since 1988

Teaching experience:

Part-time lecturer of Constitutional Law at the University Law College, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan from 1982 to 1985.

Part-time lecturer of Constitutional Law at the Punjab University Law College, Lahore, Pakistan from 1986 to 1992.

Part-time lecturer of Constitutional Law at the Punjab Law College, Lahore, Pakistan from 1995 to 1996.

Part-time lecturer of Constitutional Law at the Pakistan College of Law, Lahore, Pakistan from 1996 to 1998.

Visiting lecturer of Constitutional Law at the Civil Services Academy, Lahore; National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA), Lahore; National Police Academy, Islamabad; Staff Training Institute of the Services and General Administration Department of the Government of the Punjab; Training Course for Civil Judges conducted by the Lahore High Court, Lahore; and the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)

Judicial Experience:

Elevated to the Bench and appointed as a Judge of the Lahore High Court, Lahore (a court of appeal which is the second-highest Court of the country) on May 21, 1998.

Appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on February 18, 2010, and serving in that capacity till date Served as the acting Chief Justice of Pakistan from June 05, 2017 to June 11, 2017, June 29, 2017, to July 05, 2017, May 14, 2018, to May 30, 2018, and December 17, 2018, to December 23, 2018.

Appointed as the 26th Chief Justice of Pakistan on January 18, 2019.

Decided about fifty-five thousand cases over a period of more than nineteen and a half years so far

Conferences, seminars and symposia, etc. attended and addressed:

Attended and represented Pakistan at international platforms, seminars and symposia held in Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Canada, Tanzania, United Kingdom, Mauritius, Malaysia, Nigeria, Turkey, Scotland, Republic of Ireland, Bermuda, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, United States of America, Japan, Italy and Trinidad and Tobago

Some other honors:

A founding member of the SAARCLAW.

Conferred Fellowship of the Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute, Halifax, Canada in 2006.

Elected member of the Board of Directors of the Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute, Halifax, Canada since June 2008.

Serving as a member of the Rhodes Scholarship Selection Committee for Pakistan since 2004.

Chairman, Board of Governors of the Federal Judicial Academy, Islamabad, PakistanChairman of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan.

Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council of Pakistan
Chairman, Shariat Appellate Bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan

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