Ali Ahmed Fazeel

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Ali Ahmed Fazeel (Urdu: علی احمد فضیل) was born in Fatehgarh in Uttar Pradesh, India on September 5, 1922. Son of a district magistrate and political activist of feudal background, he following in his father's footsteps went on to Aligarh University in the early 1940s. Throughout his academic career he had the distinction of standing at top of his class. At Aligarh, he was tutored by the eminent 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. Pakistan was born in August of 1947, and Fazeel flew to Karachi, Pakistan's first capital city. 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.' Thus there was a friction developing between the educated intellegnsia which consisted of the founding father's of Pakistan and the feudal lords who were to dominate Pakistan's political landscape from there 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 to be 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 Kuhro family was to dominate Sindh politics.

Being a professional lawyer, Ali Ahmed 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. 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 beneath that of an Ambassador. Mr A K Brohi, 20 years senior to Fazeel was appointed Ambassador. Liaqat Ali Khan, was assassinated in 1951 in what Fazeel claimed a conspiracy. He quit active politics after that.

Fazeel made acquaintances with Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, when both were part-time lecturers at Sind Law College in Karachi in the late fiftees. When Bhutto formed his Pakistan Peoples Party in 1967, he wanted Fazeel in; however he declined. That was a parting of ways. Fazeel had already enamoured Ayub Khan and Gohar Ayub, whose activities he opposed in Karachi. This culminated with his silent opposition to PPP in 1977 resulting in minor harassment in return from Bhutto.

Ali Ahmed Fazeel reached the pinnacle of his career 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 Univeresity Grants Commission and the President of the Pakistan Bar Council and hosted the All Pakistan Jurist Conference. In 1985, Pakistan's then Prime Minister removed the Attorney General A K Munshi and offered Mr Fazeel to join his government. And he did. However, Zia ul Haq, the military President in uniform dismissed Junejo in political rivalry in May 1988. Zia wanted to retain Fazeel and had 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.

Ali Ahmed Fazeel is known in prominent legal circles. He passed away peacefully, in his sleep at his home on October 22nd, 2002 at the age of 80.