From Classrooms to Courtrooms:
Launching SAHSOL’s Pro-Bono Legal Aid Clinic

The LUMS Legal Aid Clinic is set to formally launch in Spring 2025, with all the preparatory work laid out in Fall. With strong connections established with the Department of Social Welfare, Punjab and Punjab Prisons, Ms. Maira Mumtaz has taken and completed a bail case and a khula case, streamlining the process for clinic referrals. As the first credited clinical course in the country, the Legal Aid Clinic is an exciting new venture that promises to build student skills in client interactions, drafting, research, ethical considerations, and argumentation. Most of all, it aims to connect students to the service considerations of the legal profession, allowing students to engage with vulnerable communities that the profession must seek to support.

 
  Dr. Sikander Ahmad Shah’s (Associate Professor)
latest book publication.

Federalist Solutions to Pakistan's Political Crises (Publisher: Rowan & Littlefield) explores how the application of communal democratic principles can transform Pakistan’s political and economic systems for the better. It critiques the current consociational framework, which bases federal organization on ethnic identity, and highlights the challenges posed to the nation by the application of neoliberal policies. Dr. Shah proposes a decentralized centripetal model - one that promotes power-sharing - as a counter to hegemonic forces at play in the Pakistani context, and as a means of enhancing intranational social cohesion. This model advocates for smaller, more diverse provinces that more accurately reflect local demographics as a means of increasing political representation. The proposed model also incorporates democratic values such as justice, grassroots democracy, and minority protections in order to effect more positive outcomes for the Pakistani polity and its more vulnerable segments. The book also examines the civil-military power imbalance and the impact of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) on Pakistan's federal structure and socio-economic dynamics. Ultimately, the work offers context-specific solutions to address historical power imbalances and promote equitable outcomes within the historically fractious nation.

  
 
Teach-in Sessions:
Exploring Solutions to Pakistan’s Pressing Issues
 
 

Professor Marva Khan Cheema (Assistant Professor)
Appointed as the Academic Director at SAHSOL
Ms. Khan will play a pivotal role in overseeing the academic programming at SAHSOL. This includes refining curricula, ensuring the highest standards of teaching and learning, fostering an environment conducive to academic excellence and aligning the school’s academic offerings with evolving needs in the legal field.

 
Welcoming New Faculty Members
to SAHSOL
26th Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan
Dr. Adnan Sattar, Ms. Marva Khan, Dr. Sadaf Aziz examined the amendment’s implications for judicial independence, judicial review and parliamentary democracy in Pakistan.		 Pakistan’s Smog Crisis
Dr. Aisha Ahmad and Mr. Fahad Malik discussed the smog emergency, its causes, and potential solutions to address this pressing issue.
         
 
  Dr. Raza Saeed joins as Visiting Associate Professor. An Associate Professor at the University of Warwick, UK, he specializes in public international law, law & development, and legal-political theory in developing countries.   Ms. Maira Mumtaz, Advocate of LHC joins as a Teaching Fellow at LUMS Law Clinic. With litigation experience in civil, corporate, and criminal law, she brings a strong focus on human rights and aims to blend theoretical knowledge with practical skills.  
 
Asghar Leghari v. Federation of Pakistan
Quoted at International Court of Justice at the Hague during hearings on the obligations of states regarding climate change.
Asghar Leghari graduated from SAHSOL in (2013) and went on to gain an LLM at Duke University in (2018). Asked to comment on this significant case, he writes the following: Climate litigation is by no means a panacea, but it is necessary. The impact of judicial intervention in matters of policy may seem undesirable and.....

From SAHSOL to the World:
Recent Graduates Shine at Top LLM & BCL Programs
         
Vice Chancellor's Alumni Achievement
Award Winners 2024
Mr. Umer Ijaz Gilani
SAHSOL BA-LL.B Class of 2010 Partner, Law and Policy Chambers

Mr. Gilani is a Supreme Court lawyer and a public intellectual. He runs an Islamabad-based full-service law firm, Law and Policy Chambers, which has partner offices in all the provincial capitals of Pakistan. After graduating in 2010, he became Coordinator of the Supreme Court’s Law Clerkship Programme where he benefitted from the mentorship of Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja...

  

Ms. Malik is dedicated to transforming justice systems for marginalised communities. As a lawyer, she has been instrumental in public interest litigation, advancing gender-responsive safeguards for rape survivors, strengthening protections for children in conflict with the law, and advocating for prisoners with mental illnesses.....
Ms. Zainab Malik
SAHSOL BA-LL.B Class of 2011 Senior Justice Advisor (Policy & Advocacy), The Hague Institute for Innovation of Law (HiiL)
         
 
 
           
   

Consultation Workshop for the Trade Union Federation and Labor Lawyers on the new Uniform Labor Codes

Dr. Syed Azeem (Associate Professor) and Mr. Muhammad Umar (Visiting Assistant Professor) held consultations with key actors to apprise them of proposed changes to the regulation of labor through the uniform Labor Codes introduced by the Provincial Governments in Punjab and Sindh.

 

Workshop Series on Historical & Archival Research for Legal Scholars

Led by Dr. Kristin Plys (Associate Professor, Sociology & History, University of Toronto), the workshop series explored the intersection of law and history. This workshop equipped legal scholars and history enthusiasts with valuable tools for archival research.

  

Mediation as the Future of Dispute Resolution: Why Do We Need It Now More Than Ever?

Mr. Muhammad Shahzar Ilahi (Accredited Civil & Commercial Mediator, CEDR London)
explored the urgent need for mediation in
Pakistan's legal landscape, addressing judicial challenges and showcasing successful
ADR practices.

             
 
           
   

Voice of Resilience: A dialogue with a Gaza Field Doctor

Dr. Hina Cheema (U.S based OB/GYN) shed light on her profound experiences from Gaza, highlighting the courage, compassion, and resilience required to serve communities under immense adversity.

 

Does Islamic Feminism help Muslim Women achieve their Rights?

Dr. Rehana Parveen (Associate Professor, University of Birmingham) presented ongoing research on British Muslims and English Family Law, exploring the complexities that arise for Muslim women and their marginalization as faithful legal actors in that context.

  

Guess Who’s Paying for Dinner Tonight? The Right to Food and Competition in Food Markets

Dr. Amber Darr (Lecturer, Competition Law, University of Manchester) explains the influence of large transitional corporations working in the food sector impacting the right of food not only on the end consumer, but also on the small farmer supplier. She discusses the narrow focus on prices resulting in the pressures on supply chains and how that impacts our right to food.

             
 
           
   

Silencing the Messenger: The
Challenge Facing Journalists

Mr. John Baker Atyani (Editor-in-Chief of Independent Urdu & Bureau Chief, Arab News) in a thought-provoking discussion on the challenges faced by journalists in developing countries like Pakistan. He discusses how government regulations undermine journalistic integrity, media ethics, real world case studies and the urgent need for legal reforms.

 

Insanity Defense: God Told Me to Kill

Dr. Ansar Haroun, an esteemed forensic psychiatrist and a clinical professor of psychiatry and pediatrics, responsible for introducing the world’s first and only med school elective known as “Law and Logic and Ethics in Medicine, was the guest speaker for Professor Angbeen Mirza's Criminal Law class. Communicating insights into the intersection of mental health and criminal law deepened students' understanding of the complexities of the insanity defense as it has been employed in the US criminal justice system.

 

NAB Laws and White-Collar Crimes
in Pakistan

Mr. Zahir Shah (Member, Prime Minister Inspection Commission and former Deputy Chairman of NAB) shared insights into the legal aspect of financial crimes, challenges of tackling corruption and NAB’s role in upholding accountability in Pakistan.

 
             
 
   

Dr. Aisha Ahmad’s latest op-ed on the U.S elections published in the South Asian Avant-Garde (SAAG) Anthology exploring political narratives with an activist lens.

 
Mr. Uzair J. Kayani (Associate Professor) participated in the panels on ADR and public-private partnerships at the UNCITRAL Colloquium on the Law of International Trade for a Greener Future held in Vienna.
 
Muhammad Umar Ali (Visiting Assistant Professor) represented the labor movement before the
Provincial Assembly of Punjab’s Standing Committee on Labor.
 
Dr. Faiza Ismail
Assistant Professor

Describe your journey to becoming a legal academic. Was it a career path that you intend to take?
As a child, I loved arguments and reasoning. Speaking came naturally to me and public speaking used to interest me greatly. Combine it with the yearning to read and write, that would either lead you to become a journalist or lawyer. Although I aspired to be a journalist, my personal circumstances led me to enter the legal profession ......
 
 
 
SAHSOL Mooting team Ms. Fatima Farooq Chishti (2025), Aizaz Arif (2025), Malik Ahmed Hasan (2026) and Ali Hassan (2026) won the National Rounds of Skadden FDI Arbitration Moot Competition hosted by NUST, Pakistan.
 
SAHSOL welcomed parents and students at Orientation 2024, introducing them to the BA.LLB program and the interdisciplinary teaching methods. Incoming students were further briefed on the school's academic support, code of conduct ensuring they are well-prepared for their journey ahead.
     

Student Support at SAHSOL
 
 
Ms. Shahar Bano Raza (2015) Gender & Inclusion Lead at LUMS Office of Accessibility & Inclusion won the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Service Excellence.
Mr. Gilani is an Advocate, Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan and a public intellectual. He is a Partner at Islamabad-based law firm, Law and Policy Chambers.
 
Our former students, Khyzar Hayat (2018), Ujala Rahman (2018), and Hassan Abid (2019) appointed as civil judges.
Mr. Altamush Saeed (2020) is the 1st recipient of the DEI Trailblazer Spark Award at the Humane Society International Expo in San Antonio, TX. In collaboration with the Charity Doings Foundation, he established Pakistan's first Disaster Zone Farm Animal Shelter.
   
Mr. Malik Muhammad Danish (2017) pursuing LLM at Stanford Law School is first Pakistani to translate 20th-century Persian poetry into English, breaking new literary ground.
         
     
M. Mohad Zulfikar
NMF Silver Medalist, 2nd in overall UG Program
Oxford University, BCL Program, Stephen Blyth Scholarship
 
Syed Qasim Abbas
Havard University
NMF Gold Medalist, 1st position in BA.LLB Program
 
Ammar Junaid Asghar
Leiden
University
 
Raja Ahmed Ali Bhatti
Cambridge University
             
 
             
     
Aleezay Saeed
University of Pennsylvania
 
Samia Azam Khan
SOAS University
 
Bakhtawar Alam
University of Glasgow
 
Qasim Baig
Leeds University
             
 
 
Ms. Sana Ayub Khan (Communications and Operations Lead) recognized with the Vice Chancellor's Service Excellence Award for her exceptional leadership and impactful strategic contributions, elevating SAHSOL’s operations and fostering community engagement by establishing the school’s communications cell.
   
Ms. Nabia Khawar joined as Special Projects & Development Consultant. She specializes in intellectual property law and holds an LLM from the London School of Economics. She will be responsible for the strategic oversight and execution of several projects aimed at expanding SAHSOL’s academic capacities.
       
Mr. Muhammad Imran (Placements Lead) wrote an article titled ‘Judiciary’s role as the guardian of the Constitution and the Rule of Law” featured in for Remittances Review. He also wrote an op-ed for Daily Times ‘Genocide in Gaza and Protests in U.S universities and across the world.’
   
Ms. Shazia Asim joined as Program Coordinator. She is a SAHSOL alumna from the Class of 2021 and brings over three years of experience as a Research Assistant and Legal Associate.
       
Ayesha Zafar, an MBA graduate in Human Resources and Management from NCBA University, is currently serving as a Communication Specialist at SAHSOL. In this role, she manages internal and external communications, develops publications, creates marketing collateral, and ensures consistent brand messaging. With six years of experience in the Office of Advancement at LUMS and prior experience at the CSO Office, Ayesha has honed her skills in stakeholder engagement, content development, and strategic communication. She also gained valuable insights into the banking sector during her internship at HBL.
   
Ms. Areebah Irfan joined as an Administrative Associate in the Dean's Office. Ms. Irfan holds a Bachelor's in English Language and Media from the Lahore School of Economics. Throughout her academic journey, she has consistently demonstrated exceptional academic prowess, showcasing her ability to excel in various disciplines. In addition, Ms. Irfan possesses valuable experience in e-commerce management and school operations. Her expertise in this area will prove to be a valuable asset enabling us to streamline our administrative processes and enhance our overall efficiency.
       
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