Dr. Osama Siddique
Executive Director
SJD, Harvard Law School
LL.M, Harvard Law School
MA, University of Oxford
BA (Hons), University of Oxford
MBA, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)
BA, Government College Lahore
Rhodes Scholar for Pakistan (1992)
Member – The New York Bar Association (1999)
Member – The Lahore High Court Bar Association (1997)
Member – The Punjab Bar Council (1997)
Dr.osamasiddique@gmail.com
Dr. Osama Siddique is a legal scholar, policy reform advisor and author. He is an Associate Fellow at the Institute of Development and Economic Alternatives (IDEAS), Lahore, Pakistan. He has also worked as an Associate Professor of Law & Policy and was the founding head of department (2005-2007) at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Lahore, Pakistan. Dr. Siddique has extensive experience in research and policy work in the fields of law and public policy. He has several scholarly publications in international academic journals in the areas of comparative constitutional law, law and development, legal history, human rights, legal education, and justice sector reform. He has also worked extensively as a justice sector reform adviser to Pakistani courts, federal and provincial government departments, the United Nations and various international bilateral and multilateral financial institutions, including the ADB, USAID, DFID, EU, GIZ and World Bank. He is a regular participant in local and international academic conferences and policy dialogues. He has also practiced as a transactional lawyer in New York and as an advocate of the appellate courts in Pakistan. His most recent book publication is ‘Pakistan’s Experience with Formal Law: An Alien Justice’ (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013). Dr. Siddique is also currently a member of the Senior Faculty of the Institute for Global Law & Policy (IGLP) at Harvard Law School for the 2015 IGLP Workshop.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Primary Interests: Pakistani Constitutional Law and History, Human Rights, Comparative Constitutional Law, Indian Legal History, Legal Theory, Political Theory, Law and Society, Sociology of Law, Legal Anthropology, Law and Literature, Law and Public Policy, Justice Sector Reform, Law & Development, Access to Justice, Legal Empowerment of the Poor & Vulnerable, Regulatory Laws and Regulation of Higher Education.
General Interests: Justice Sector Reform, Higher Education Reform, Democratic Process Reform, Fundamental Rights and Civil Liberties, Protection of Vulnerable Groups in Society.
Case Management Reforms at the Lahore High Court and District Courts in Punjab (current)
Legal Education Regulatory Reforms and Institutional Capacity Building in Punjab (current)
Prosecutor Trainings Development and Institution Building in Punjab (current)
Books
Pakistan’s Experience with Formal Law: An Alien Justice
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013 (International Hardback Edition)
New Delhi: Cambridge University Press, 2014 (South Asian Paperback Edition)
Winner of the Best Non-Fiction Book of the Year Award at Karachi Literature Festival, 2014
The Jurisprudence of Dissolutions: Presidential Power to Dissolve Assemblies under the Pakistani Constitution and its Discontents
Karachi: Pakistan Law House, 2008
Law Journals
“Capturing Obscenity: The Trials and Tribulations of Saadat Hasan Manto”
NAVEIÑ REET: Nordic Journal of Law & Social Research (NNJLSR) No.5, 2014
Legal Education in Pakistan: The Domination of Practitioners and the ‘Critically Endangered’ Academic”
Journal of Legal Education, Volume 63, Number 3 (February 2014)
“Law as an Instrument of Coercion: Blasphemy Laws, Vigilante Justice and Personal Vendettas” (forthcoming in 2015)
“Unholy Laws & Holy Speech: Blasphemy Laws in Pakistan – Controversial Origins, Design Defects and Free Speech Implications” (with Zahra Hayat)
Minnesota Journal of International Law (17 MINN. J. INT’L L. 303 (2008))
“The 2005 South Asian Earthquake: Natural Calamity or Failure of State? Exploring State Liability and Remedies for Victims of Defective Construction in Pakistan” (with Maryam Khan)
Australian Journal of Asian Law (9 Asian Law (2007))
“Martial Laws and Lawyers: The Crisis of Legal Education in Pakistan and Key Areas of Reform”
Regent Journal of International Law (5 Regent J. Int’l L. 95 (2007))
“The Jurisprudence of Dissolutions: Presidential Power to Dissolve Assemblies under the Pakistani Constitution and its Discontents”
Arizona Journal of International and Comparative Law (23 Ariz. J. Int’l & Comp. Law 615 (2006))
Chapters in Edited Volumes
Judicialization of Politics: Pakistan Supreme Court’s Jurisprudence after the Lawyers’ Movement, in UNSTABLE CONSTITUTIONALISM: LAW AND POLITICS IN SOUTH ASIA (Mark Tushnet and Madhav Khosla eds., New York: Cambridge University Press) (2015).
From the Case and the Court to the Dispute and the Disputant: Revitalizing Informal Justice in Pakistan, in INDIAN LEGAL SYSTEM REFORM: EMPIRICAL BASELINES AND NORMATIVE FRAMEWORKS (Sudhir Krishnaswami ed., New Delhi: Oxford University Press) (forthcoming in 2015).
The Other Pakistan: Special Laws, Diminished Citizenship and the Gathering Storm, in NORMS, INTERESTS, AND VALUES – CONFLICT AND CONSENT IN THE BASIC CONSTITUTIONAL ORDER (CPG Series on Comparative Constitutional Law, Politics, and Governance: Henning Glaser ed., Baden-Baden, Nomos) (forthcoming in 2015)
Across the Border – A New Avatar for India’s ‘Basic Structure Doctrine’, in SEMINAR: A MONTHLY SYMPOSIUM, ON 60 YEARS OF THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION (1950-2010), 2010.
Case Study: Rehai Welfare Organization: Liberating Juvenile Prisoners, in MANAGING NGO’S IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, Volume 4 (Dawood Ghaznavi and Bashir Ahmad Khan eds., Karachi: Oxford University Press, 2006).
Towards a Prosperous Pakistan: A Strategy for Rapid Industrial Growth (with Ijaz Nabi, Shahid Hafiz Kardar, Anjum Nasim, Faisal Bari, Ali Cheema and A. R. Kemal) (Ministry of Industries, Production and Special Initiatives, Government of Pakistan, 2005)
Corporate Governance in Pakistan: Ownership, Control and the Law (with Ali Cheema and Faisal Bari), in A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE IN SOUTH ASIA: CHARTING A ROAD MAP FOR BANGLADESH
(Farooq Sobhan and Wendy Werner eds., 2003)
Commissioned Studies
Legal Advisory and Representational Services in South Punjab: Baseline Study of Priority and Availability Needs (with Syed Moazzam Ali Shah) (Punjab Access to Justice Project – European Union: 2015)
Mapping of Informal Justice Systems in Pakistan (with various co-authors) (CAMP: 2015)
Reclaiming Prosperity in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – A Medium Term Strategy for Inclusive Growth (International Growth Centre (with various co-authors) (IGC) – London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) & University of Oxford: 2014)
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since the Post-Crisis Needs Assessment 2010 (DFID: 2013)
The World Bank University Governance Study for Pakistan (World Bank: 2012)
The Retrospective Report: Mapping and Assessment of Justice Sector Interventions – Donors and Government, 1998-2010 (with Syed Ali Murtaza) (The Asia Foundation: 2010)
Pakistan: Local Court Efficiency Assessment Report (with Syed Ali Murtaza) (USAID: 2010)
Pakistan: Report on Training Needs Assessment for Judges & Court Staff (USAID: 2010)
The Punjab Crime Perception Survey Report (with Saif Anjum) (Asian Development Bank: 2009)
Simplification and Promotion of Laws and Procedures for Corporatization of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) (with Faisal Bari) (Ministry of Industries and Production, Government of Pakistan and Securities & Exchange Commission of Pakistan, 2003)
Research Study on Harmonizing Code of Corporate Governance with other Laws/Regulations in Pakistan (United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Securities & Exchange Commission of Pakistan, 2003)
Public Interest Litigation: Shehla Zia vs. WAPDA (Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) ed., 2000)
Monographs and Working Papers
Approaches to Legal and Judicial Reform in Pakistan: Post Colonial Inertia and the Paucity of Imagination in Times of Turmoil and Change, DPRC Working Paper No 4, LUMS, 2011.
Law in Practice – The Lahore District Courts Litigants Survey (2010-11), DPRC Working Paper No 3, LUMS, 2011.
The Hegemony of Heritage: The ‘Narratives of Colonial Displacement and the Absence of the Past in Pakistani Reform Narratives of the Present, DPRC Working Paper No 1, LUMS, 2010.
Reforming Pakistan’s Justice Sector Reform Discourse, LUMS Social Science and Policy Bulletin, Volume 2, No. 2 (2010).
Academic Presentations, Policy Engagements, and Public Intellectual Contributions
2015
External Evaluator for a Public Policy Formulation Simulation Exercise on “Law & Order, Terrorism – Criminal Justice System and Governance” by Grade 20 federal and provincial officers undergoing training for further promotion at the 102nd National Management Course (NMC) at the National Management College, National School of Public Policy. Lahore, Pakistan, April 3, 2015.
Speaker and Moderator at the European Union’s Punjab Access to Justice Project Launch, Lahore, Pakistan, March 26, 2015.
Title: “Legal Advisory and Representational Services in South Punjab: Key Findings of Baseline Study of Availability and Priority Needs.”
Public Lecture for the faculty of Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan (BZU). Multan, Pakistan, February 2, 2015.
Title: “Pakistan’s Experience with Formal Law, Future of Reforms and Role of Universities and Scholarship in the Justice Discourse.”
Senior Faculty, Stream Co-Teacher and Writing Workshop Mentor at the Harvard Law School’s Institute for Global Law & Policy (IGLP) Workshop held at Doha, Qatar in collaboration with the Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar and the Qatar Foundation. Envisioned, coordinated and co-taught the thematic stream ‘Thought and Method (TAM)’ along with Mikhail Xifares (Professor, Sciences Po Law School, Paris, France), Dina Waked (Assistant Professor, Sciences Po Law School, Paris, France), Hani Sayed (Assistant Professor, American University in Cairo) and, Richard Lehun (McGill University). Doha Qatar, January 2-12, 2015.
Title: “Judicialization of Politics: Pakistan Supreme Court’s Jurisprudence after the Lawyers’ Movement.”
2014
Co-Chair and Speaker at the National Conference of Judicial Academies on “Key Issues and Challenges in Judicial Education” at the Punjab Judicial Academy. Lahore, Pakistan, October 25, 2014.
Title: “Curriculum, Course Design & Content and Module Development: Key Lessons.”
Speaker and Moderator at the National Conference on Continuing Legal Education organized and sponsored by the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan, Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP), Department of Commerce, United States of America, & Continuing Legal Education Institute of Pakistan (CLEIP). Islamabad, Pakistan, October 21, 2014.
Title: “The State of Legal Education in Pakistan: Understanding why CLE is Essential.”
External Evaluator for a Public Policy Formulation Simulation Exercise on “Law & Order, Terrorism, Criminal Justice System and Governance” by Grade 20 federal and provincial officers undergoing training for further promotion at the 101st National Management Course (NMC) at the National Management College, National School of Public Policy. Lahore, Pakistan, October 16, 2014.
Public Lecture organized by the Harvard Club of Pakistan. Quaid-e-Azam Library, Lahore, Pakistan, September 16, 2014.
Title: “Law Reforms in Pakistan: History, Sociology, Challenges & Tribulations.”
Speaker and Discussant at a national symposium titled ‘Witness Security Symposium’ organized by the British High Commission and the Law & Justice Commission of Pakistan. Bhurban, Pakistan, May 22-24, 2014.
Title: “The Current State of Pakistani Law regarding Witness Protection and the Analytical and Institutional Frameworks for Future Reforms.”
Presenter at an international conference titled ‘Pakistan: Creation and Consolidation’ at Department of History, Forman Christian College, Lahore. Lahore, Pakistan, April 14-15, 2014.
Title: “Judicialization of Politics in Pakistan – From its First Decade to the period after the Lawyers’ Movement.”
External Evaluator for a Public Policy Formulation Simulation Exercise on “Law and Order, Terrorism and Criminal Justice System” by Grade 20 federal and provincial officers undergoing training for further promotion at the 100th National Management Course (NMC) at the National Management College, National School of Public Policy. Lahore, Pakistan, April 9, 2014.
Presenter at an international conference titled ‘Re-Envisioning Pakistan: The Political Economy of Social Transformation’ at Sarah Lawrence College, New York, U.S.A. New York, U.S.A, April 4-5, 2014.
Title: “Judicialization of Politics: Pakistan Supreme Court’s Jurisprudence after the Lawyers’ Movement.”
Discussant at the “Civil Service Reform Policy Dialogue 2014” conducted jointly by CERP (Center for Economic Research in Pakistan), Evidence for Policy Design (Center for International Development at Harvard University), UK aid, National School of Public Policy, Pakistan, and Government of the Punjab, at the National School of Public Policy, Pakistan. Lahore, Pakistan, March 20-21, 2014.
Key Discussant and Expert Commentator at “The Case for the Prosecution – A Policy Dialogue” organized by Kyhber-Pukhtunkhwa Prosecution Service & DFID. Islamabad, Pakistan, January 23, 2014.
Discussant in the Enrichment Plenary on “Global Value Chains and Food Security in the Middle East” with Professor Gary Gereffi and Ghada Ahmed (Duke University), Robert Wai (Associate Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University), Jorge Esquirol (Professor, Florida International University, College of Law), Vidya Kumar (Lecturer in Law, University of Birmingham) and Judge Dennis Davis (High Court of Cape Town, South Africa) at the Harvard Law School’s Institute for Global Law & Policy (IGLP) Workshop at Doha, Qatar in collaboration with the Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar and the Qatar Foundation. Doha, Qatar, January 7, 2014.
Title: “Land grabs and the multifarious political, economic and social impacts of the same in countries targeted for off-shore farming by resource rich nations pursuing food security policies.”
Docent at the Harvard Law School’s Institute for Global Law & Policy (IGLP) Workshop held at Doha, Qatar in collaboration with the Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar and the Qatar Foundation. Envisioned, coordinated and co-taught the thematic stream ‘Human Rights, Global Poverty and Development’ along with Professor Lucie White (Louis A. Horvitz Professor of Law, Harvard Law School), Professor Jeremy Perelman (Sciences Po Law School, Paris, France), and, Alejandra Azuero-Quijano (SJD Candidate, Harvard Law School). Doha, Qatar, January 3-11, 2014.
Title: “Human Rights, Global Poverty and Development.”
2013
Public Guest Lecture organized by the Asian Dynamics Initiative (ADI), Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen, held at Copenhagen, Denmark. Denmark, Copenhagen, December 12, 2013.
Title: “Law Reform in Pakistan.”
Presentation at the Workshop titled “Law and Art: European and Global Perspectives” organized by Centre for European Constitutionalization and Security, Faculty of Law & Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen, held at Copenhagen, Denmark. Denmark, Copenhagen, December 10, 2013.
Title: “Capturing Obscenity: The Trials and Tribulations of Saadat Hasan Manto.”
Presentation at Harvard South Asia Institute conference held at New Delhi, India. New Delhi, India, May 25, 2013.
Title: “Constitutional Development, Economic Change and Democratic Stresses in South Asia.”
Chair and Speaker at a national academic conference on “Education, Language and Educational Management” held at the School of Education, Beaconhouse National University (BNU), Lahore. May 2, 2013.
Title: “Colonial Legacies, The Model Universities Ordinance and continuing challenges for Higher Education Policy-Making and Management in Pakistan.”
Participant and Presenter at the Harvard Law School’s Institute for Global Law & Policy’s (IGLP) Fourth Annual Workshop on Global Law and Economic Policy. Doha, Qatar, January 5 – 13, 2013.
Title: “Law as an Instrument of Coercion: Blasphemy Laws, Vigilante Justice, and Personal Vendettas.”
Paper Presented (in absentia) at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS). New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A, January 4-7, 2013.
Title: “Legal Education in Pakistan, the Domination of Lawyers and Abandoned Reform.” (Paper presented by Professor Shubha Ghosh, University of Wisconsin Law School and Chair of the Law and South Asian Studies Section of the AALS Annual Meeting).
Teaching Experience
Senior Faculty – Harvard Law School’s Institute for Global Law & Policy (IGLP) Workshop, Doha, Qatar (January 2015)
Docent – Harvard Law School’s Institute for Global Law & Policy (IGLP) Workshop, Doha, Qatar (January 2014)
Associate Professor – Department of Law & Policy, LUMS, Lahore, Pakistan (March 2005 – March 2014)
Courses Taught:
Human Rights Law and Society
Constitutional Law of Pakistan
Constitutional History of Pakistan
Comparative Constitutional Law & Politics
Advocacy & Negotiations
Advanced Moot Court Clinic
The Impact of Colonial Law on India
Instructor – South Asian Free Media Association School (SAFMA), Lahore (2012, 2013)
Courses Taught:
Constitutional and human rights laws and the reporting and coverage of human rights violations (for new as well as experienced journalists from all over Pakistan)
Visiting Faculty – School of Humanities and Social Sciences, LUMS, Lahore, Pakistan (October 2001 – February 2005)
Courses Taught:
Human Rights Law and Society
Comparative Constitutional Law & Politics
Instructor – The Social Enterprise Management Program at LUMS (2003, 2004)
Courses Taught:
Policy & Regulatory Implications of Pakistan’s NGO Laws for social enterprise (for middle and senior level executives from the corporate as well as NGO sector from all over Pakistan)
Legal Practice Experience
Partner – Minto & Mirza, Advocates & Solicitors LLP, Lahore, Pakistan (August 2004 – March 2005)
Areas of Practice: Appellate court litigation, including constitutional challenges to legislative and executive violations of Fundamental Rights under the Constitution. Litigation and Advisory work in a vast variety of civil, commercial and corporate transactions
Senior Associate – Minto & Mirza, Advocates & Solicitors LLP, Lahore, Pakistan (October 2001 – August 2004)
Areas of Practice: Advisory and advocacy work in the district and appellate courts and tribunals in the areas of constitutional, administrative, civil, corporate, commercial and banking laws. Pro bono services in the areas of human rights, constitutional law, environmental laws, and cultural and architectural conservation
Associate Attorney – Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, New York, U.S.A (April 2000 – September 2001)
Areas of Practice: Member of the international project finance and leveraged leasing team. Worked on several transactions for Fortune 500 clients as a member of larger practice teams as well as the primary supervising attorney
Associate Attorney – Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue LLP, New York, U.S.A (January 1998 – March 2000)
Areas of Practice: General corporate, international project finance, securities, real estate, corporate takeovers, and mergers & acquisitions transactions for individual as well as Fortune 500 clients. Also worked out of the Firm’s London office and in collaboration with its Delhi office