The inauguration ceremony for the new building of the Shaikh Ahmad Hassan School of Law (SAHSOL) was held on Saturday, September 12, 2015. The building, spread over an area of 78,000 square feet, is located at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) campus. It comprises of auditoriums, discussion rooms, faculty offices, meeting rooms, a Centre for International Legal Studies and a state of the art moot court which is a replica of the court room of the Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Governor Punjab, Mr. Malik Muhammad Rafique Rajwana, members of the higher judiciary, such as Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court, Mr. Justice Manzoor Ahmad Malik; former Chief Justice of Pakistan, Mr. Justice (Retd.) Tassaduq Hussain Jillani; renowned lawyers, bureaucrats, and current and former army officials. Syed Babar Ali, Pro-Chancellor, LUMS; Mr. Abdul Razak Dawood, Rector, LUMS; Dr. Sohail Naqvi, Vice Chancellor, LUMS and Dr. Parvez Hassan, Member Management Committee, LUMS addressed the guests.
“We welcome you to the most beautiful campus on this side of the world,” said Dr. Naqvi, “It is a result of good people coming together for the common good.” One of the most influential philanthropists in the country, Syed Babar Ali, was emphatic on reforming the current national laws and how this institution needs to play its role in leading the way. Mr. Abdul Razak Dawood, also Chairman of Descon Engineering, was hopeful that the ecstatic mood witnessed at the event would continue and praised how a small department in LUMS is now one of the best law schools in the region.
“Reform must come from law schools,” Mr. Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah said, “and for that, clinical interface with the judiciary is required.” Mr. Hasan Irfan Khan, Senior Partner, Irfan and Irfan mentioned the school passionately and said, “We are going to support the Shaikh Ahmad Hassan School of Law - whatever it takes, may it be morally or monetarily”. Dr. Pervez Hassan, Member of the Management Committee, concluded the event by thanking all those who contributed to the law school and aiming to make it “a leading hub of research and inquiry globally”.
The Shaikh Ahmad Hassan School of Law, established in 2013, has grown out of the Department of Law and Policy, which has been functioning since 2004. The School offers a 5-year joint BA-LL.B (Honours) undergraduate programme which is accredited by the Pakistan Bar Council.
