Ali Ahmed Fazeel

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Ali Ahmed Fazeel
Born September 5, 1922(1922-09-05)
Fatehgarh in Uttar Pradesh, India
Died October 22, 2002 (aged 80)
Karachi, Pakistan Flag of Pakistan
Education Aligarh University
Occupation Lawyer
Title Attorney General of Pakistan
Term Oct 30 1986 - May 30th, 1988
Predecessor Aziz A Munshi
Successor Aziz A Munshi
Religious beliefs Islam
Spouse Begum Qaiser Fazeel
Children 2 sons and 2 daughters

Ali Ahmed Fazeel (Urdu: علی احمد فضیل) (b. Fatehgarh in Uttar Pradesh, India on September 5, 1922; d. October 22, 2002) was a Pakistani Attorney General

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[edit] Early life

Son of a district magistrate and political activist of feudal background, Mr Fazeel followed his father's footsteps and attended Aligarh University in the early 1940s. He excelled in school. He passed his MsC (Masters in Science - Major: Geography)in First Division. It was in LLB that he had the honor of standing on top of his class of 1945 in AliGarh. The same year, he was the recipient of the Abdul Karim Khan University Medal from Aligarh University. At Aligarh, he was tutored by the eminent Sir Dr. Ziaduddin, namesake of Dr Ziauddin Hospital in Karachi. It was during that period, that the Pakistan movement was gaining momentum, Fazeel became the Secretary-General of All India Muslim League Students Federation. He worked alongside Liaqat Ali Khan and Jinnah. Upon graduation, he started his law practice in Fatehgarh. Here, he was appointed Joint Secretary of All India Musliam League for Fatehgarh. Pakistan was born in August of 1947, and Fazeel flew to Karachi, Pakistan's first capital city. In Karachi, he became Joint Secretary for Karachi Muslim League and Zonal Secretary for the Zonal Muslim League. In 1948 minor riots broke out between the immigrant population from India and the Sindhis. When Fazeel approached the then Chief Minister of Sindh, Ayub Khuro, in Fazeel's words, Khuro remarked: I will throw you and your Quaid (Jinnah) behind the bars.'[citation needed] Thus there was a friction developing between the intelligensia which consisted of the founding fathers of Pakistan and the tribal feudal lords who were to dominate Pakistan's political landscape from then onwards. Fazeel claimed that he went back and related this to Jinnah. The Quaid had few words of comfort. He knew too, that the political realities of Pakistan were going to be markedly different from that of the recently concluded Pakistan Movement. Ironically, Jinnah's sister was to lose a future Presidential election in the country founded by her brother, whereas, the Khuro family was to dominate Sindh politics.

[edit] Career in Pakistan

Being a professional lawyer, Fazeel set up his law offices, "Fazeel & Co." in Karachi's Jehangir Kothari building. Later on, he would set up offices at Mohammadi House, the tallest building in Pakistan around the fiftees, located on Karachi's I.I Chundrigarh Rd. Liaqat Ali Khan, Pakistan's first Prime Minister, offered to send him to Sri Lanka as his diplomatic attache, but Fazeel rejected his offer, demanding to take up no job less that of an Ambassador. A. K. Brohi, 20 years senior to Fazeel was appointed ambassador. Liaqat Ali Khan, was assassinated in 1951 in what Fazeel believed to be a conspiracy. He quit active politics after that.

In his early career, he temporarily acted as the Special Public Prosecutor. He was twice elected as President Sindh High Court Bar Association. He was Joint Editor of Pakistan Law Report and Editor for Weekly Progress. Abroad, he represented Pakistan at the Indian Science Congress in Nagpur. He acted as Custodian Karachi University. He was the Special Advisor to the Department that overlooked the disposition of properties for migrants and emigrants after the Partition. He assisted the Sindh High Court in the case concerning the resolution of Jinnah's estate after his death. Fazeel made acquaintances with Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, when both were part-time lecturers at Sind Law College in Karachi in the late fiftees. Amongst his students was one, Wajihuddin Ahmed, who later on was to fight and lose the 2007 Presidential Election to General pervez Musharaf. In the meantime,when Bhutto formed his Pakistan Peoples Party in 1967, he had wanted Fazeel in; however that invitation was declined by Fazeel. Thus, there was a parting of ways, between these two. Fazeel had already enamoured Ayub Khan and Gohar Ayub, whose activities he opposed in Karachi. This culminated with his subtle opposition to PPP in 1977 resulting in some petty harassment in return from Bhutto.

Fazeel reached the pinnacle of his career amongst Pakistani lawyers in the 1980s. He was counted amongst Pakistan's most eminent lawyers that included Khalid Ishaq, S M Zafar and Sharifuddin Pirzada. He was a member of the Karachi University Syndicate, Univeresity Grants Commission and the Vice-Chairman of the Pakistan Bar Council and hosted the All Pakistan Jurist Conference. He also represented his country in International conferences in Australia, Austria and the UK. During this period, he litigated for both sides in important political cases that included Air Marshal Asghar Khan, Nawabzada Nasarullah Khan, Nawab Akbar Bugti, Ghulam Mustafa Khar, Benazir Bhutto, Haji Saifullah and Ghous Ali Shah. On the corporate side, he appeared in some of the most important business litigations of the 80s and 90s concerning Byram Avari, Pakistan Burmah Shell, Jahangir Siddiqui & Co., Tibet Group, Amin Lakhani, Sultan Lakhani, Asharfi Brand Atta, Akbar Hashwani, Shahzada Citizen Watches, Bishop Lobo vs Cowasjee etc. In 1985, Muhammad Khan Junejo (then Prime Minister of Pakistan) removed the Attorney General A. K. Munshi and gave Fazeel an offer to join his government. At this point Prime Minister Junejo asked Fazeel for his opinion on the vacancy of the position of Advocate General Sind. Fazeel liked Wajihuddin Ahmed, Advocate. It was on his advice, that Mr Wajihuddin was introduced to the corridors of power in Sind. A few years later, Zia ul Haq, the military President in uniform dismissed Junejo due political rivalry in May 1988. ul Haq wanted to retain Fazeel and offered him a place in his Zia's Majlis Shoora (the General's version of a technocrat advisory body. However, Fazeel chose to resign. He would often remark to his friends: "The Attorney General comes with the Prime Minister and goes with the Prime Minister." Consequently, he was named amongst Pakistan's 100 most influential citizens in a book published in 1989.

[edit] Junejo Case

Following the dismissal of the Junego government, Fazeel was retained by the Former Prime Minister, to contest the dismissal in the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The Supreme Court invalidated Zia's action terming it illegal. However, it allowed the Federation of Pakistan to continue with the announced dates of general elections in Pakistan.

[edit] References

Political offices
Preceded by
Aziz A Munshi		 Attorney General of Pakistan
October 1986 - May 1988		 Succeeded by
Yahya Bakhtiar