Makhdoom Ali Khan

Makhdoom Ali Khan (Urdu: مخدوم علی خان ‎) (Barrister Lincoln's Inn, Born 9 January 1954), is a practising Senior Advocate Supreme Court. Makhdoom Ali Khan is a former Attorney General of Pakistan, former Chairman Pakistan Bar Council, former member of the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan, former Board Member of the Federal Judicial Academy of Pakistan and a former Board Member of the Sindh Judicial Academy. He is a serving Member on the Governing Board of the British Pakistan Law Council, an Officer of the Board of the Forum for International Conciliation and Arbitration (FICACIC), a member of the Advisory Board of the Citizens Police Liaison Committee (CPLC), a member of the court of the London Court of International Arbitration and a member of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Dispute's (ICSID) panel of arbitrators. He has consistently been ranked amongst the top five litigators, in Pakistan over the last decade and a half both by reputation and in international rankings in legal publications and amongst the top three litigators in the Sindh High Court in Karachi. Since his return to private practice in 2007 he is globally regarded as the preeminent commercial, taxation and constitutional litigator, arbitrator and arbitration lawyer in Pakistan.

Chambers Global 2010 -the leading guidebook on lawyers worldwide - ranked Makhdoom Ali Khan as the best litigator in Pakistan under their Lawyer Rankings for Dispute Resolution ranking him alone in Band 1. The rankings state that, "Former Attorney General Makhdoom Ali Khan of Fazle Ghani Advocates is one of the country's finest courtroom performers, report interviewees: “There is not anyone better; he doesn't need magic, for he will have predicted any question you can think of anyway – he is the absolute master of preparation.” As well as handling a blend of commercial and constitutional litigation, he enjoys a particularly strong standing in the international arbitration sphere."

Chambers Asia Pacific 2012 ranked him as the only Star Individual for Commercial Litigation in Pakistan and in Band 1 for Constitutional Litigation. He is the only litigator ranked in Band 1 or above in both the Constitutional Litigation and Commercial Litigation Rankings. It states that, "Senior counsel Makhdoom Ali Khan is heralded as "the patron saint of litigation in Pakistan." Sources enthuse that he is "a master of his craft; without question the best commercial litigator in the country."" . He is also the only South Asian to be ranked in Chambers and Partners Asia's Most In-Demand Arbitrators rankings.

Since 2011, Makhdoom Ali Khan has appeared in every major case on the issue of appointment of judges to the High Courts and Supreme Court of Pakistan. He appeared successfully as counsel for the Munir Hussain Bhatti in Munir Hussain Bhatti v Federation of Pakistan in both the petition under article 184(3) of the Constitution of Pakistan 1973 (PLD 2011 SC 407) and the review petition filed by the government (PLD 2011 SC 752). He also appeared with success for the affected judges as intervenors in Sindh High Court Bar Association Sukkur v Federation of Pakistan in the Sindh High Court, the appeal filed by the government in the Supreme Court of Pakistan (PLD 2012 SC 1067) and the review petition filed by the government in the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Most recently he has appeared as amicus curiae in Presidential Reference No. 1 of 2012 regarding the appointment of judges to the Islamabad High Court and Supreme Court of Pakistan.

In September 2011 he was appointed to the ICSID Chairman's panel of arbitrators for a six year term replacing Mr. Fali Nariman, Senior Counsel Supreme Court of India as the only South Asian representative on the panel. He is the first ever Pakistani to be appointed to the ICSID panel of arbitrators. Mr. Khan has thus far acted as an arbitrator in major ICSID disputes involving the Republic of Poland and the Republic of Sri Lanka respectively.