Farooq Naek

Farooq Naek فاروق نائیک
Minister of Justice
In office 11 April 2012 – 16 March 2013
Prime Minister	Yousaf Raza Gillani Raja Pervez Ashraf
Preceded by	Moula Bakhsh Chandio
Succeeded by	Ahmer Bilal Soofi (Acting)
In office 31 March 2008 – 10 March 2009
Prime Minister	Yousaf Raza Gillani
Preceded by	Wasi Zafar
Succeeded by	Babar Awan
Chairman of the Senate
In office 12 March 2009 – 12 March 2012
Preceded by	Muhammad Mian Soomro
Succeeded by	Nayyar Hussain Bukhari
Personal details
Born	(1950-01-03) January 3, 1950 Sialkot, Pakistan
Political party	Pakistan Peoples Party
Alma mater	University of Karachi

Farooq Hamid Naek (Urdu: فاروق حمید نائیک ‎; b. 3 January 1950^[1][2] also spelled Farooq H. Naik), is a Pakistani politician and practicing lawyer, serving as the minister of law as well as heading the ministry of justice in the government formerly led by Prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani.^[3]

After successfully contesting in the 2008 general elections, Naek won the bid for the law ministry, but ascended to Chairman of the Senate in 2009. Due to cabinet reshuffle by Gillani in 2012, he was again appointed as law minister of the country.^[4] He is a high-ranking member of the central committee of the Pakistan Peoples Party, and has been a personal lawyer and legal counselor in the legal cases leveled up against Benazir Bhutto and her spouse Asif Ali Zardari since 1996.^[5]

Legal career

Naek was brought up in Karachi, Sindh Province of Pakistan. After graduating from high school, he was accepted at the Sindh Muslim Law College, where he earned an LLB in law. Later, he went on to attend the post-graduate school of the University of Karachi where he earned an MA in Economics. His political career began in 1971, when he served as Assistant Director at the Directorate of Labour and Social Welfare of the provisional Government of Sindh. He then was a Civil Judge and First Class Magistrate from 1971 to 1975. He was elected General Secretary of Karachi Bar Association during mid 1985-90. He also served as Deputy Attorney General of Pakistan from 1994 to 1996 in the second Benazir Bhutto government.

Naek enrolled as Advocate of local court in 1970, advocate of high court in 1976, and of Supreme Court in 1990. He resigned from the judicial service after serving as civil judge for two years and became an active member of the PPP in the mid-1970s.^[5]

Naek was arrested in 1983, after leading a demonstration against the dictatorial rule of General Zia Ul Haq. He was held in Central Prison, Karachi, for about six months along with 10 other lawyers.^[6]

Although Naek was associated with the PPP for three decades, he only shot to prominence when he fought the corruption and criminal cases against Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari during Pervez Musharraf's rule in and out of Pakistan. It was during these extremely difficult years of Mr. Zardari that Naek earned his trust. Before and after becoming the President of Pakistan, Zardari always consulted him on legal matters and other issues.^[5]

Political appointments

Naek has been the senator of Karachi since 2003. He was appointed as the Federal Minister for Law and Justice as a result of Pakistani general election, 2008. He was reappointed as the Federal Minister for Law and Justice in April 2012 after his 3 year term as Chairman of Senate.^[6]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Farooq Hamid Naek.

External links

• Official Biography of Law minister Farooq H. Naik
• Profile of Senator Farooq Naek

Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan Marwat Khan Sajjad Soomro Naek Bukhari Rabbani