During the Harvard 2025 Winter J-term session, several Pakistani-Americans from Harvard Law School had the opportunity to work at the Supreme Court of Pakistan and other notable institutions in the cities of Islamabad and Lahore.
These students included Hussain Awan, HLS ’25, Hurya Ahmad HLS ’25, Arash Abbas HLS ’26,Rimsha Saeed HLS ’26, Juvaria Shahid, HLS ’26, & Saeed Ahmad, J.D. ’24, Visiting Fellow at the HLS Religious Freedom Clinic. Danielle Mikaelian, HLS ’25’, interviews with them below to learn more about the work they did and goals for the future.
Danielle Mikaelian: What was the most fulfilling aspect of the trip?
Hussain Awan: For me, it was the chance to connect with Pakistani law schools and law students and see just how much opportunity there is for people like myself — who’ve grown up in the West and gone to American law schools — to be useful in Pakistan. The law schools we spoke at were very excited about the possibility of creating collaborative programs with legal education institutions in the United States; many of the law students that would ask us questions after our panels or reach out to us online were interested in pursuing further legal education in America (whether in the form of LL.Ms, or even in some cases, J.Ds). Nothing makes me more excited about the next few years than the thought of building on the Pakistan-United States collaboration projects we’ve started and helping law students in both countries pursue exciting opportunities.
Danielle Mikaelian: Can you tell us a bit about your work in Pakistan and projects you are in the process of working on?
Arash Abbas: During Harvard Law’s January term, I researched Pakistan’s 2024 elections, focusing on the surprising electoral performance of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). My research sought to answer a central question: how did the PTI successfully overcome its legal challenges — including a nationwide party ban and severe communication restrictions — to secure ballot access, convey its preferred candidates to voters, and build widespread support? To investigate this research question, I traveled to Islamabad and Lahore, spending approximately ten days in each city. During my travels, I conducted over 30 interviews in a diverse range of settings: coffee shops, homes, offices, and even the Supreme Court of Pakistan. My sources included lawyers involved in key election litigation, political science and law professors, PTI candidates, human rights advocates, election monitors, international journalists, and judges. In the end, this work offered a unique perspective on democratic backsliding: in hybrid democracies, aggressive election interference can backfire and weaken authoritarian regimes if pro-democracy parties can successfully frame such actions as assaults on democratic principles.
Danielle Mikaelian: Can you tell us about a particular experience or takeaway from your time in Pakistan?
Rimsha Saeed: I loved the opportunity I had to speak at and meet the lovely students and staff of The Institute of Legal Studies (TILS) in Islamabad! The panel members each briefly shared our reflections on our time in Pakistan and then broke off into groups to have individual conversations with the students. They were incredibly bright and enthusiastic—they asked many questions: what are law schools like in the US? How did you prepare to go to a school like Harvard? What has your clerkship experience been like? How do we apply for scholarships for US programs? And so on.
After the Q&A, the principal warmly invited us over for tea in her office. Over a lovely spread of cake, sandwiches, and chai, we compared current events in the US and Pakistan, as well as their respective legal education systems. She also shared her hope for her students: to instill in them the confidence to reach for the stars. It seemed to me that the students of TILS are well on their way.
Danielle Mikaelian: Can you tell us a bit about the legal work you engaged in and the organizations involved?
Juweria Shahid:
Over the J-Term, I worked at AGHS Legal Aid Cell, a nonprofit dedicated to providing free legal representation for vulnerable populations in Pakistan. For three weeks, I worked closely with lawyers, conducting legal research and shadowing them in courts at all levels, from the district courts to the Lahore High Court. I was also able to catch up with my fellow HLS classmates in Islamabad, where I met with multiple justices on the Supreme Court and the Islamabad High Court.
I was initially drawn to AGHS because of its founder, Asma Jahangir, a human rights lawyer I greatly admired growing up. Before traveling to Pakistan, I hoped to find her spirit in the work I was about to do, and in many ways, I did. The organization is doing critical work for those who need it most. However, I left with the realization that Pakistan is in dire need of a genuine, uncompromised effort to reform the legal system so that it works for the most vulnerable, not against them. My time in Pakistan strengthened my resolve to push for such a change. I hope to help deepen the relationship between the HLS community and Pakistan, and I highly encourage interested students to choose a placement in Pakistan for J-Term.
Danielle Mikaelian: Can you tell us about your holistic experience in Pakistan and what you see for the future of potential collaborations between the United States and Pakistan?
Saeed Ahmad:
Our first week in Lahore spanned working at the Supreme Court of Pakistan Lahore branch registry, and meeting with prominent Pakistani philanthropist/educationist (educator) Syed Babar Ali, the founder of Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). It is interesting to note that the United States provided monetary support to build the school, and how the case method and faculty advice were adopted from Harvard. The resounding success of LUMS today and its robust alumni base showcases the potential created through collaborations between the United States and Pakistan.
We were also able to dedicate time to a trip to Quetta in the Balochistan province of Pakistan, where we were able to meet the Chief Justice and Advocate General of Balochistan, tour through parliament, and even converse and grab some chai with local members of the Hazara community.
Throughout our time in Pakistan, we were able to meet with prominent figures such as Salman Akram Raja (attorney for incarcerated ex-Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan), Pakistani attorney Ahmer Bilal Soofi of ABS & Co, Justice Babar Sattar of the Islamabad High Court, Dean Sadaf Aziz at Lahore University of Management Sciences, and Justice Ayesha Malik, to name a few.
In the span of just over two years, we have been able to facilitate a steady stream of Pakistani-American law students engaging in research, collaborations, and academic work in a wide variety of institutions in both the United States and Pakistan, and I hope to see a continuation of this in the coming years.