Renowned lawyer Rasheed A Razvi, known for his profound legal expertise and contributions to the legal community, has passed away.

Razvi's legacy in the field of law spans decades, marked by his dedication to upholding justice and championing legal principles.

Rashid A. Razvi was receiving medical care at a private hospital in Clifton. The funeral prayers for the prominent lawyer will take place tomorrow.

Profile

Mr. Rasheed A. Razvi was born on December 18, 1947, in Bombay (now Mumbai), India. His family migrated from Bombay to Karachi in the year 1956. He was brought up and educated in Karachi. He completed his BA (Hons) in 1969 and MA in Economics in 1970, both from the University of Karachi. He successfully completed his LLB from Government Islamia College in 1972, where he stood first class second. He joined the legal profession in the year 1973 and now has a legal standing of over 47 years.

In the month of November 1993, Mr. Razvi was appointed the Presiding Officer, Special Courts (Offences in Banks) Sindh at Karachi (with the status of a High Court Judge), a position he held till April 7, 1995. In the same year, Mr. Razvi was elevated as a judge of the High Court of Sindh. However, on January 26, 2000, he stood retired along with other honourable judges of the High Courts and Supreme Court who declined to take a fresh oath under the Provisional Constitution Order, 2000, promulgated by General Pervaiz Musharraf, a military dictator.

As a Judge of the High Court, he has to his credit several reported cases in various fields, including but not limited to civil, criminal, labor, constitutional, and intellectual property laws. As a lawyer, his efforts have resulted in some leading judgments of the Supreme Court, i.e. Supreme Court Bar Association case (PLD 2002 SC 939), Pakistan Bar Council (PLD 2007 SC 394), Chief Justice of Pakistan’s case (PLD 2010 SC 61), Sindh High Court Bar Association (PLD 2009 SC 879), Justice Khurshid Bhinder (PLD 2010 SC 483), Province of Sindh Vs. Rasheed A. Razvi (PLD 2010 SC 649), Baz M. Kakar (PLD 2012 SC 870), Watan Party (2012 SCMR 584), Gen. Pervez Musharraf’s case (PLD 2014 SC 585), the case of the 21st Amendment (PLD 2015 SC 401), and many other cases.

Mr. Razvi has also held several positions within the bar associations and bar counsels of the country. Mr. Razvi was elected as the General Secretary of the Karachi Bar Association in 1981 and it’s President in 1987. He was also elected as a member of the Sindh Bar Council for the term 1984–1989 and again for 1989–1994. During this tenure, he was twice elected as Vice Chairman of the Sindh Bar Council. He was elected President of the Sindh High Court Bar Association in the years 2000, 2008, 2009, and 2010. He was a member of Pakistan Bar Council (the regulatory body for all Supreme Court lawyers in Pakistan) from 2000 until 2020. He has also remained the Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Pakistan Bar Council. Mr. Razvi was elected President of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan in 2017.

Mr. Razvi was conferred the status of ‘Senior Advocate of Supreme Court of Pakistan’ in the year 2008.

Mr. Razvi has also participated in several international law conferences and human rights workshops and is a life member of the Common Wealth Judges and Magistrate Association (CMJA). He has also remained the President of the Pakistan Chapter of SAARC Law for more than 8 years, from 2009 until 2017.