Since 2007, the Supreme Court of Pakistan has emerged as a dominant force in Pakistani politics through its hyper-active use of judicial review, or the power to overrule Parliament’s laws and the Prime Minister’s acts. This hyper-activism was on display during the Supreme Court’s unilateral disqualification of Prime Minister Yousef Raza Gilani in 2012 under the leadership of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry. Despite the Supreme Court’s practical adoption of restraint subsequent to the retir...

Pakistan and Human Rights consists of a series of innovative and carefully chosen chapters by leading experts and specialists in the field of human rights law. With contributions from young emerging scholars, many of whom live and work in Pakistan, this volume takes a critical look at the legal ordering of human rights issues in Pakistan today.