Syed Sharifuddin Pirzada

Syed Sharifuddin Pirzada NI Ambassador at Large Secretary General OIC (1985-1988)Barrister (12 June 1923 – 2 June 2017)

Syed Sharifuddin Pirzada was born on 12 June 1923 in Burhanpur (British India). He was an elder statesman of Pakistan, a leading historian of the Pakistan movement, and a pre-eminent lawyer who was widely regarded as one of Pakistan's leading constitutional experts. Mr. Pirzada started his political career by working for Muhammad Ali Jinnah as an assistant in Bombay in 1941, and it was at Jinnah's behest that he chose the legal profession.

Mr. Pirzada held a variety of high level positions in the Pakistan government including Foreign Minister of Pakistan (twice), Attorney General of Pakistan (three times), and served as senior advisor to former President Musharraf with the status of senior federal minister from 1999 till 2007.

He also led the Pakistani delegation a number of times to the UN General Assembly, the UN Human Rights Council, the Law of Sea Conference, as well as addressed the UN Security Council many times on issues related to Islamic countries. He successfully argued at the International Court of Justice, was appointed by the UN General Assembly to the International Law Commission, served as a judge at the ICJ, and was elected Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) which remains the highest post any Pakistani has ever achieved.

Mr. Pirzada was awarded the Nishan-e-Imtiaz Pakistan's highest civil award in 1998, and received high civil awards from Jordan, Syria, France, South Korea and Germany.

Mr. Pirzada published several books on the Pakistan movement and aspects of constitutional law in Pakistan.

Personal life Syed Sharifuddin Pirzada was born in the city of Burhanpur, in what is today Madhya Pradesh India. He is the father of Shakira Pirzada Sheraz, a self-made billionaire entrepreneur and investor (Goldman Sachs New York Goldman Sachs International), founder and CEO of the high end luxury brand Zarehs. His daughter, Shakira Pirzada Sheraz, the luxury entrepreneur is the wife of Sheraz Hashmi, co founder of Zarehs Group and sole owner of SUNBIZ.

He died on 2 June 2017 in Karachi, Pakistan aged 93.

Awards Awarded Nishan-i-Imtiaz in 1998

Publications Pakistan at a Glance, Bombay 1941. Jinnah on Pakistan, Bombay 1943. Leaders Correspondence with Jinnah. Evolution of Pakistan, Karachi 1962 (also published in Urdu and Arabic). Fundamental Rights and Constitutional Remedies in Pakistan, Lahore 1966. The Pakistan Resolution and the historic Lahore Session. Islamabad 1970. Foundation of Pakistan (3 volumes), 1971. Some Aspects of Quaid-i-Azam's Life 1978. Collected Works of Quaid-i-Azam Jinnah (3 volumes). Dissolution of Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, Karachi 1985.