Abdul Hafeez Pirzada
Abdul Hafeez Pirzada عبدالحفیظ پیرزادہ | |
---|---|
Minister for Information | |
In office 20 December 1971 – 13 August 1973 | |
President | Zulfikar Ali Bhutto |
Preceded by | Roedad Khan |
Personal details | |
Born | British India | 24 February 1935
Died | 1 September 2015 Reading, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom | (aged 80)
Resting place | Sukkur, Pakistan |
Political party | Pakistan People's Party (1968–1980) |
Occupation | Lawyer |
Abdul Hafeez Pirzada (
Trained as a barrister at
Returning to
Early life and family
Born in
Pirzada obtained his LLB degree from
Pirzada began his legal career at the Sindh High Court, known then as the West Pakistan High Court. He first met fellow lawyer Zulfikar Ali Bhutto when both were associates at Dingomal Ramchandani's law chambers in Karachi.[citation needed]
PPP co-founder and federal minister
Pirzada was one of 30 members that co-founded the
In the
Father of the Constitution
In 1973, Pirzada assumed control of the Ministry of Law and Justice, after Mahmud Ali Kasuri resigned from the post over differences with Bhutto. Pirzada played an integral role in the drafting, and ultimate passing, of the Constitution of 1973.[citation needed]
Government negotiation team member
In 1977, Pirzada was made Finance Minister. Elected an MNA again in 1977, Pirzada was a key member of the three-member government team that negotiated, unsuccessfully, a deal with the PNA opposition grouping. During that time, he was the
Coup d'état and arrest
On 17 September 1977, Pirzada, along with Dr. Hassan and Bhutto, was arrested by the
Fighting Bhutto's case
On 24 February, the Supreme Court denied the request of review, and so the court upheld its original decision.[5] Pirzada then attempted to attain a commutation of Bhutto's sentence on the basis of split decision.[5] This time, the Court decided to hear the arguments.[5] On 28 February, the Army banned all the college text books of Dr. Hassan and forcefully lifted the books from major bookstores.[5] On 12 March, the Supreme Court started to review the petition, and did so for the next 12 days.[5] On 24 March, Pirzada informed Bhutto in jail that the President of Pakistan was able to change a death sentence into one of life imprisonment.[5] Undaunted, Pirzada filed a petition to President General Zia-ul-Haq, who was serving at the time as Chief Martial Law Administrator.[5] Pirzada asked the President to use "Section 45 of the Constitution", to commute the sentence to one of life imprisonment.[5] However, General Zia-ul-Haq denied the application, saying the application had gone missing.[5] Pirzada immediately went to meet Bhutto in his cell where he notified Bhutto about the application's status. After that, Pirzada held a press conference and told the media that Bhutto was prepared for death and would not file another application for mercy.[5]
Pro-democracy activism
On 1 October 1982, Pirzada was arrested for demonstrating against
Return to private practice
On his return to Pakistan in the late 1980s, Pirzada withdrew from active politics and fully concentrated on his legal career. Pirzada was one of the most successful advocates in Pakistan.[citation needed]
Death
On September 1, 2015, Pirzada died in Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, the United Kingdom. He was buried in at the tomb of Jeay Shah, Sukkur, Pirzada family's ancestral homeland. His funeral prayers were offered by Moulana Arbab Ali Haryah Naqshbandi, the prayer leader at Jeelani Mosque in his neighbourhood.[6]
References
- ^ "Govt on collision course with SC". The Nation. 9 June 2011. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
- ^ a b Mansoor, Hasan. "Profile: Abdul Hafeez Pirzada – a lawyer par excellence". DAWN.com. Dawn News.
- ^ "Author of 1973 Constitution Abdul Hafeez Pirzada passes away". The Express Tribune. 1 September 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
- ^ "Renowned lawyer Hafeez Pirzada is no more". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Zaman, Fakhar. "Pakistan Peoples Party – Past and Present" (PDF). Fakhar Zaman. Fakhar Zaman and Pakistan Peoples Party's Media Research Cell Directorate. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 April 2010. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ^ "Prominent law expert Abdul Hafeez Pirzado passes away". The Sindh Times. 2 September 2015. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2016.