Sardar Latif Khosa is a senior lawyer and politician who has served the country in many roles including Punjab governor, senator, attorney general and others.
He ended his decades-old association with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and joined the embattled Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) earlier this month.
Sardar Latif Khosa’s family
Sardar Latif Khosa was born on 25th July 1946 in Punjab. He belongs to a Seraiki-speaking family of the Khosa Baloch tribe. He has four sons and three daughters. His three sons including Sardar Khurram Latif Khosa, Balakh Sher Khosa and Shahbaz Khosa are advocates of Supreme Court of Pakistan. Faisal Khosa is a doctor by profession.
Sardar Latif Khosa’s educational background
Sardar Latif Khosa received his early education from Dera Ghazi Khan, Punjab. Later, he joined Government College, Lahore from where he did his graduation. Being a student of Government College, he showed excellent results in debate, sports and academics. After 2 years academic completion, he joined the Punjab University Law College at Lahore, where he became President of the Punjab University Law College Students Union and the editor of Law College official magazine. He was declared the best English debater of 1967 in the Punjab University after winning the Kishore Grover Goodwill Gold Medal Declamation contest.
Later, he was selected as the president of PULC debating society. He did his LLB in 1967.
Notables of Sardar Latif Khosa’s family
Sardar Latif Khosa has close familial ties with other notable Khosa tribe including former Supreme Court chief justice Asif Saeed Khosa, former Punjab governor Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khosa; former Punjab chief minister Sardar Dost Muhammad Khosa; former Punjab IGP Tariq Khosa; former Punjab chief secretary Nasir Khosa.
Sardar Latif Khosa’s distinguished stature
Sardar Latif Khosa held key offices in PPP-led governments.
He remained Punjab governor from 2011 to 2013.
He was elected PPP Senator from 2003 to 2009
He was appointed as Attorney General of Pakistan from 2008 to 2009
He was named as federal advisor of Information Technology &Telecommunication from 2009 to 2010
He remained member of the Pakistan Bar Council and served as its Executive Committee & chairman.
He co-authored an electoral fraud report with former prime minister Benazir Bhutto shortly before her assassination in December 2007
He was member of Senate Committees for Foreign Affairs, Law Justice and Human Rights, Government Assurances, Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges, House Committee, Devolution Process
He was appointed Secretary General of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in 2013
Sardar Latif Khosa’s professional career
Sardar Latif Khosa has established himself as one of the ace advocates of the county. He has gone through along and strived journey as new law student to leading lawyer of the Supreme Court. His career can be reviewed in a brief sketch.
He joined the legal profession in 1968.
In 1970, he became an advocate of the high court and in 1980 as an advocate of the Supreme Court.
Selected as the President of High Court Bar Association Multan in 1981, 1983 and 1985
Selected as Member Pakistan Bar Council for the first time in 1990, 1995 & 2000.
Contribution to 2007 lawyers’ movement
Sardar Latif Khosa played a vital role in the lawyers’ movement for the restoration of dozens of senior judges including former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry sacked by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf in 2007.
Pro-active in bar politics
Sardar Latif Khosa participated proactively in all Supreme Court Bar Association and Pakistan Bar Council elections over the last 40 years. He has been elected as the president of High Court Bar thrice (1981; 1983; 1985) and as member Pakistan Bar Council three times 1990-2005 (15 years).
Orator at international forum
Sardar Latif Khosa has delivered several lectures on the subject of Politics, Diplomacy, Foreign Relations and International Law at universities across the globe.
Why Sardar Latif Khosa left PPP?
Sardar Latif Khosa was a diehard PPP worker and supporter who served the party for three decades starting from the founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Lately, PPP suspended his party membership for representing former PTI chief Imran Khan in the Supreme Court. He was also served a show-cause notice for defending Imran Khan without prior approval of PPP leadership. The PPP had issued a notice on 14th September 2022, warning of membership termination if Khosa failed to respond within the stipulated timeframe.
Sardar Latif Khosa joins PTI
Sardar Latif Khosa joined the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Dec 17, 2023 and stated that he became PTI member in the larger interest of the nation and democracy. He also revealed that Imran Khan wanted him to join the PTI. He also hoped that politics of hatred and biasness would end. He said constitution is the only solution to every political and national issue of the country. He further emphasised that the idea of Pakistan’s formation was given by lawyer, and was completed by another lawyer.
