Mr. Justice Muhammad Karim Khan Agha
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After graduating with an LLB 2:1 (Hons) degree from Birmingham University in the UK and passing the Law Society Solicitors Finals Examination from Guildford College of Law his Lordship commenced his legal career in 1987 at the prestigious city of London Law firm Cameron Markby as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales. His main practice areas were investment property and secured lending. On his return to Pakistan his Lordship was enrolled as an advocate of the High Court and entered private practice with his main practice areas being banking, customs and criminal law. His Lordship also served for a brief period as country legal counsel for Citibank NA Pakistan. He was later called to the Bar from Lincolns Inn London. After competitive interview his Lordship was appointed as a prosecutor at the United Nations (UN) International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) based in the Hague. Whilst at the ICTY his Lordship was involved in some notable prosecutions for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide during the 1990’s Balkans conflict including the prosecution of the former President of Serbia Slobodan Milosevic. Whilst at The Hague his Lordship also graduated from the prestigious Leiden University with an LLM in Public International Law (with Specialization in International Criminal law). After serving at the ICTY his Lordship was appointed to the UN backed Special Court for Sierra Leone to lead the prosecution of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity during their over throw of the then Sierra Leonean Government. He was later appointed a senior Appeals Counsel in the AFRC and Civil Defence Force (CDF) appeals and assisted in drafting the Indictment of Charles Taylor the former President of Liberia who was later convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity. On his return to Pakistan his Lordship again recommenced his private practice and was appointed as an advocate of the Supreme Court before being elevated as an Additional Judge of the Sindh High Court under a democratically elected Government only to be denotified following the Sindh High Court Bar Association case (PLD 2009 SC 879).There after his Lordship was appointed as Additional Attorney General for Pakistan appearing before the Supreme Court in Islamabad where he appeared in some notable cases such as the 18th Amendment case before a 17 Member full bench of the Supreme Court and the powers/authority of the Parliamentary Committee on the appointment of Superior Court Judges and numerous international arbitrations. His Lordship was then appointed as Prosecutor General Accountability of the National Accountability Bureau where he completed his three year non renewable tenure before returning to the Bar where he was appointed as amicus Curiae by the then Chief Justice of Pakistan to the Supreme Court Commission established to examine whether there had been any poll rigging in the 2013 General Elections. After serving briefly as General Counsel for the State Bank of Pakistan his Lordship was again elevated to the Bench as an Additional Judge of the Sindh High Court and confirmed a year later. His Lordship Prior to being elevated to the bench, attended conferences and seminars both inside and outside of Pakistan. These included in Islamabad numerous International Conferences organized by and the Supreme Court of Pakistan; in London, England on Property law (landlord and tenant law); in Geneva, Switzerland on Human Rights law; in the Hague, Netherlands on International Humanitarian law and International Human Rights law; in Vienna, Austria on the United Nations Convention against Corruption. His Lordship has also trained prosecutors in Bosnia and Cambodia in International Humanitarian law and lectured at SM law college Karachi on British Constitutional and Administrative law and at the Faculty of law at the University of Freetown on International Hunanitarian law and Human Rights law. After being elevated to the bench his Lordship has acted as Chairman of the Service Tribunal dealing with internal service appeals of Sindh High Court employees, acted as monitoring Judge of the Accountability Courts in Sindh, monitoring Judge of the Districts of Shikarpur and Mirpurkhas. He has been/is a part of various internal Committees of the Sindh High Court as well as being a part of the Board of Governors of some Universities in Sindh. |
