Ahmer Bilal Soofi

Ahmer Bilal Soofi is a Pakistani lawyer and a former Minister of Law, Justice, Parliamentary Affairs and Human Rights in the 2013 Khoso caretaker ministry. Soofi is a member of the Board of Governors of the Islamabad Policy and Research institute, a think tank based in Islamabad.

Soofi regularly contributes articles to Pakistani newspapers, offering commentary and analysis on legal, social, and political issues.

Early life and education

Ahmer Bilal Soofi was born to M. A. Soofi, a periodontist, and Iqbal Soofi, a medical doctor. His father, M. A. Soofi, was a dentist who had worked for the Muslim League and Muslim National Guard.

He has a Master of Laws degree from the University of Cambridge.

Political career

Broadsheet scandal

Background

On 20 July 2000, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) of Pakistan hired the Isle of Man-registered Broadsheet LLC to investigate and track the illegally accumulated wealth of Pakistani politicians, including the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif. In 2003, the NAB terminated the agreement with Broadsheet after making settlements with Nawaz Sharif and others. However, Broadsheet claimed that it had not been informed of the settlements, and that it was entitled to service fees on assets it had recovered. The company filed an arbitration case before the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) over non-payment of service fees, claiming damages of $580 million. Meanwhile, the Broadsheet company went bankrupt and was acquired by Kaveh Moussavi. The original owner of Broadsheet, Jerry James, registered another company in Colorado, which was also named "Broadsheet".

In May 2008, the NAB reached an agreement with the Colorado registered Broadsheet and paid it an amount of $5 million. However, the original Isle of Man-registered Broadsheet, now owned by Moussavi, continued to pursue the arbitration against the Pakistani government, on the basis that the government had mistakenly paid the new company, which had no legal standing in the ongoing dispute. The case hearings commenced in January 2016, with the Pakistan government losing the case in August that year. The LCIA upheld Broadsheet's arguments that Jerry James had no authority to act on behalf of the Isle of Man registered Broadsheet LLC. It further held that "Pakistan was liable to pay damages as NAB had wrongfully repudiated an asset recovery agreement with Broadsheet and committed a tort of civil conspiracy by entering into a sham settlement with a former Broadsheet executive".

As counsel to the Pakistan government

At the time of the settlement agreement, Soofi had acted as counsel for the NAB.

In the 2016 arbitral decision, Sir Anthony Evans found that Soofi knew that the Isle of Man company "was or had been in liquidation and that no liquidator was involved in the negotiation" but had "fail dto contact the liquidator or make further enquiries before concluding his negotiation" because of his reliance on statements given by James.

In 2021, a commission led by formed Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Azmat Saeed, was formed to investigate potential corruption and criminality during the Broadsheet case. Saeed found that Soofi's actions had been criminally negligent, leading to losses incurred by the Pakistani government. Later that year, the Federal Cabinet of Pakistan allowed criminal proceedings to be brought against Soofi.

In 2022, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Anti-Corruption Circle of Islamabad summoned Soofi for investigation.

In 2023, the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee stated that Soofi had refused to cooperate with the ongoing investigation against him, instead submitting a complaint to the Chief Justice of Pakistan.

Legal career

In 2013, the Pakistani government engaged Soofi's firm for Rs 90M (approx US$838,000) to act in a dispute before the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes.

Views

Soofi has condemned Israel's actions in its war against Gaza, arguing that Israel had committed genocide, that its occupation of Palestinian territory was illegal, and that Palestinians had a right to armed resistance under international law. He has argued that the Quran is a legally binding contract between Allah and all of humanity, including non-believers of Islam.

Amidst the ongoing 2025 India–Pakistan crisis, Soofi has argued in favour of the Pakistani government's view that any abeyance of the Indus Waters Treaty by India would constitute an act of war against Pakistan, which would justify a nuclear attack upon India. Soofi interprets the Advisory Opinion on the Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons as implicitly legitimising Pakistan's possession of nuclear weapons and the proposition that in extreme circumstances, nations may justifiably use nuclear weapons as a form of self defence.

Personal life

He is married with three sons. His son Bakhtawar Bilal Soofi is an Advocate of the Punjab bar and a partner at the elder Soofi's law firm. Bakhtawar's younger brother, Sadiq Karim Soofi, is a graduate of Harvard University.

He was formerly the president of WWF Pakistan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Soofi, Ahmed Bilal
Living people
Pakistani lawyers
Federal ministers of Pakistan
Punjab University Law College alumni
Government College University, Lahore alumni
Alumni of the University of Cambridge
1962 births