Fraz Wahlah

Sardar Fraz Wahlah (; born: 10 November 1981) is an international lawyer and Pakistani statesman who served as the President of Pakistan Peoples Party for Punjab leading the struggle for restoration of democracy and rule of law during the dictatorship of military ruler Pervez Musharraf.

Background and family life

Fraz Wahlah was born into a progressive landlord family in Gojra, Pakistan that own the Haveli Harcharan Singh where one princess, the daughter of the last Maharaja of Patiala Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, lived and died. The Wahlah family has long been involved in local as well as national politics.

His mother, Um-e-Sleet, was a celebrated poetess of the 70s, in whose honour wrote the likes of Sir Hafeez Jullundhri, the creator of the national anthem of Pakistan. His father, Mr. M.S. Wahlah Advocate, a renowned jurist, was the President of Pakistan Peoples Party during the martial law of General Zia ul Haq. He was a strong opponent of the military rule and therefore was imprisoned several times.

Fraz Wahlah himself was the youngest prisoner in the struggle for democracy as he was arrested at the age of 6 for waving Pakistan Peoples Party flag during a curfew imposed by the military dictator after his father's arrest.

Education and profession

He completed his degree in business before going on to pursue a degree in law at the Punjab University, Lahore where he was known as the diamond of law school.

Fraz Wahlah has served as the Director and Chief Legal Officer for CureMD Corporation in New York, USA for their operations worldwide. He has also been the associate of former justice, law minister, senator and lawyer Dr. Khalid Ranjha and is the CEO and founder of Pakistan's first technology law firm FADVOCAT. With a history of legal triumphs in and out of courts internationally, Fraz Wahlah is regarded as a respected authority in information technology, intellectual property, and human rights laws worldwide.

InterViews and publications

Fraz Wahlah has been recognized as one of the leading lawyers in the technology and corporate world by various international publications including the prestigious CIO Magazine which featured him on its cover in 2009. Other publications such as ComputerWorld, InfoWorld, and IDG also covered the same interview in Norway, Germany and United States owing to its critical importance and relevance with corporate identity and intellectual property rights protection on the World Wide Web. Fraz Wahlah was also featured in 'Pakistani Leaders' journal in 2009, the TV documentary 'Shining Gojra' in 2011 and the book titled, 'Pakistani Lawyers'in the United States in 2012.

International awards

Fraz Wahlah also represented Pakistan in the 10th International Asia Pacific ICT Alliance Awards, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which is considered as the Oscar of the International ICT Industry, where he won the International Asia Pacific ICT Merit Award for Pakistan.

Political career

Known as the youngest prisoner for democracy, Fraz Wahlah started his political career as a worker for the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in his early youth, as he approved the dogma of the late President and Premier of Pakistan Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.

He was involved with ACTIVE local politics during his university days and gained fame for his struggle and speeches against the military rule of Pervaiz Musharraf.

Having served at various levels within Pakistan Peoples Party's student and human rights wings, he was appointed as the provincial president of Pakistan Peoples Party for youth Punjab by the then Chairperson and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in 2006.

Parliamentary candidacy

In August 2007, Fraz Wahlah was asked to run for Punjab Assembly on party's ticket in 2008 national elections, making him The Youngest Candidate nominated for the party ticket. However, he did not choose to contest because of his active participation in the Lawyers' Movement for restoration of judiciary being a lawyer himself.

After Benazir Bhutto's assassination

Fraz Wahlah refused to accept any role within the Government of Pakistan Peoples Party when it came into power after democracy was finally restored in 2008 general elections, the very cause that he struggled for for over a decade, and sidelined himself from mainstream politics in protest against the rampant corruption in the country and the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

See also

• Benazir Bhutto
• Khalid Ranjha
• Pakistan Peoples Party
• Lawyers' Movement
• Politics of Pakistan