Akram Sheikh

• American Bar Association (ABA)
• Union International des Avocates (UIA)
• Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA)
• The Law Association for Asia and the Pacific (LAWASIA)

Extensive practice spanning over more than three decades in civil, revenue, criminal, commercial, international and constitutional matters.

Largest number of reported judgments in various jurisdictions from Commercial International Agreements on Jurisdiction and Choice of Law Clauses, Constitutional and other areas of Private International Law.

• In 1983, successfully defended Safia Bibi, a blind girl who was a rape victim. Her case (reported as PLD 1985 FSC 120) has revolutionized Muslim laws on rape and criminal evidence in Pakistan and the case continues to be taught in law schools across the world including the universities of Pakistan and University of London.
• During 1988-1990, successfully acted before the Supreme Court in a famous case pertaining to “determination of the powers & relations between the Federal Government & the Province of the Punjab”.
• The struggle for independence of judiciary finds mention in a celebrated book by Justice Rustam S. Sidhwa titled history of the Lahore high court and its bar at page 96-97. This case was appealed against by the federation which dragged him for more than ten months but towards its closure ended in dismissal of their review petitions.
• Pioneered the cause of curtailments of the powers of judiciary by virtue of 4^th constitutional amendment by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in 1975 vide 4^th constitutional amendment taking away the powers of the Courts to grant interlocutory reliefs in civil increment matters in his capacity as secretary general of the district bar associations.
• Faced detention in prison several times between 1973-1977 and during General Zia ul Haq’s atrocious regime particularly in 1981.
• In 1989 successfully challenged government orders, based on a purposive misinterpretation of the Supreme Court’s Saifullah judgment, suspending 42 Superior Court judges including three from the Supreme Court.
• In 1989 conducted the first case of floor crossing (political defections) before the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
• In 1993 acted as Senior Counsel in the famous case of “Dissolution of the National Assembly”.
• In 1997 have faced contempt of charges against 5 accounts for criticizing the method of induction of superior judiciary and running the courts by ad-hoc judges.
• In 2007, acted as a counsel as a result of which reinstatement of the former Chief Justice of Pakistan Mr. Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudry was ordered in 2009 subsequent to quashment of the presidential reference.
• The discriminatory National Reconciliation Ordinance 2007 (NRO) was also successfully challenged and declared ultra vires by the Supreme Court in a petition which Mr. Akram Sheikh filed.
• In 2010 appeared in the Supreme Court in petitions challenging the 18^th Constitutional Amendment Act 2010.
• In 2011, filed petition successfully challenging the appointment of Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
• In 2012, successfully represented Mr. Mansoor Ijaz before the “Memogate” Commission, which was the first fact finding Commission of its kind in Pakistan’s judicial history with a direct mandate from the Supreme Court of Pakistan using video link for recording evidence of Mansoor Ijaz, the only witness carrying messages to the US Security Chief from the President of Pakistan. Hence, pioneered the use of internet, digital and modern technology for purposes of recording evidence in Pakistan.