Dr. Osama Siddique | Harvard Law School (original) (raw)

Books by Dr. Osama Siddique

By Maniza Naqvi (Scroll.in - March 18, 2018)

by Maniza Naqvi (The Herald Magazine, February 2018)

Excerpt from the List on Snuffing Out the Moon

In conversation with the renowned English fiction writers Kamila Shamsie, H.M. Naqvi, Omar Shahid... more In conversation with the renowned English fiction writers Kamila Shamsie, H.M. Naqvi, Omar Shahid Hamid and Osama Siddique.

Kamila Shamsie. I don't know the answer to that. Almost all my fiction reading is in English and ... more Kamila Shamsie. I don't know the answer to that. Almost all my fiction reading is in English and the novels I have read in Urdu aren't contemporary.

Interview: Herald Magazine (January 12, 2018)

Excerpt published online in the Sage – December 2017 Issue, of the Coldnoon journal.

Hosted by Safdar Mir English Literary Circle (December 4, 2017)

Digital Literary Festival

Are We Slowly but Surely Heading Towards Our Own Self-Scripted Apocalypse by Ajith Pillai

Write up on Snuffing Out the Moon by Karishma Kuenzang

Sumaira Samad, former Director of the Lahore Museum, says it came to life for her when she read O... more Sumaira Samad, former Director of the Lahore Museum, says it came to life for her when she read Osama Siddique's debut novel 'Tilisim--e--Hoshruba' portrayed Ustad Allah Bakhsh, in a painting at the Lahore Museum

My novel was an attempt to reconcile with a personal tragedy: writer Osama Siddique on his debut

By Maniza Naqvi (Scroll.in - March 18, 2018)

by Maniza Naqvi (The Herald Magazine, February 2018)

Excerpt from the List on Snuffing Out the Moon

Interview: Herald Magazine (January 12, 2018)

Excerpt published online in the Sage – December 2017 Issue, of the Coldnoon journal.

Hosted by Safdar Mir English Literary Circle (December 4, 2017)

Digital Literary Festival

Are We Slowly but Surely Heading Towards Our Own Self-Scripted Apocalypse by Ajith Pillai

Write up on Snuffing Out the Moon by Karishma Kuenzang

My novel was an attempt to reconcile with a personal tragedy: writer Osama Siddique on his debut

NAVEIÑ REET: Nordic Journal of Law & Social Research (NNJLSR) No.5, 2014

Association of American Law Schools - Journal of Legal Education, Feb 2014

Australian Journal of Asian Law, 2007

This article conducts a review and evaluation of the various potential legal remedies that might ... more This article conducts a review and evaluation of the various potential legal remedies that might be available to the victims of the 2005 South Asian earthquake against public officials and the state. It argues that such litigation may establish accountability for the failures of the past and go some way toward providing compensation to those affected; it may also compel the state to establish adequate regulatory mechanisms for the future.

In process of submission to journals

The Pakistani tribal areas of FATA and PATA are perpetually in the international headlines for Ta... more The Pakistani tribal areas of FATA and PATA are perpetually in the international headlines for Taliban activities, U.S. Drone attacks, NATO supply lines and a whole host of political and military events that contribute to the current milieu in Afghanistan and the escalating instability in neighboring Pakistan. What is less known is that all these areas have been historically governed by a special set of laws and regulations in the colonial period as well as the post-colonial era. This in turn has contributed to a very differential set of rights, reduced access to justice, and asymmetric social and economic development. Furthermore, this has had a direct impact on the human rights protection regime in the region, especially for the more vulnerable groups. In this context, the article looks in particular at the Taliban insurgency in the valley of Swat in 2009 which called for the reform of the extant legal system as well as the government and the judiciary’s response to the same – based on an actual visit to the valley during the time and interviews with the local judiciary. The article uses the Swat experience as a case study for the historic constitutional, legal, and administrative treatment of these areas and the multiple issues that such treatment has spawned. In particular, there are the issues of deliberate governmental avoidance of the real underlying causal factors that have stemmed a strong popular resistance to the existing legal system, the use of Islam as a slogan for reform by both the Taliban as well as the government, the various inadequacies of the governmental reform package including erosion of the due process of law and other ad hoc measures, the presence of the army in the area and its controversial investigation and treatment of suspected Taliban insurgents or sympathizers which is not conducted under the rubric of the Pakistani legal system and is also beyond the pale of any international human rights accountability, the special anti-terrorist legal regime in the areas and its various challenges and other significant human rights themes.

The article also provides a snap shot of the various additional special legal regimes in the areas of FATA and PATA (including the infamous Frontier Crimes Regulation 1901) that promote undesirable forms of tribal justice, various colonial forms of punishment including collective punishment to the whole tribe for an individual crime, several additional administrative powers and measures that lead to the human rights violations of women, children, and other innocent civilians, and other archaic aspects of a colonial legal regime introduced during the 'Great Game' that persists in the twenty-first century. While written against the backdrop of significant current events that have a resonance for an international affairs audience, the article endeavors to conduct a scholarly historical, sociological and legal analysis of the legal and administrative system of a region that is currently the focus of international attention as it has become a hot bed of militancy – especially since there is hardly any available rigorous literature on these significant themes. At the same time, it highlights various human rights themes that are consistently neglected by relying on diverse literature, empirical work, and different research methodologies that ought to make it compelling for human rights scholars, comparative lawyers, international public policy and justice sector reform experts and any social scientists who are generally interested in this highly complex, ill-understood and fascinating region.

Journal of Legal Education, 2014

In any discussion of the general state of legal education in Pakistan, the role of lawyers merits... more In any discussion of the general state of legal education in Pakistan, the role of lawyers merits special attention. According to one estimate, Pakistan has 74 law colleges affiliated with 16 universities.1 Historically underfunded and ignored, state law schools in Pakistan never have developed a favorable environment for a quality local research to flourish. At the same time, private law schools that emerged a few decades ago have largely pursued profit and done little to raise the quality of legal education. Finally, the general society never really has experienced and as a result has not learned to value what legal academics and scholars do. “Law teacher” is the closest attempt by most judges, lawyers and the public at large to describe the phenomenon. While the absence of a legal academy has resulted in negligible improvement of teaching and research standards, it also has impoverished the larger national discourse on law, rights and justice. Few and far between to start with, l...

law and politics in south asia, 2000

An Alien Justice, 2000

The Development Policy Research Centre (DPRC) is a knowledge centre structured around core socioe... more The Development Policy Research Centre (DPRC) is a knowledge centre structured around core socioeconomic development themes with the objective of carrying out cutting edge multi-disciplinary research. The centre combines the disciplines of social sciences and law to strengthen evidence-based policymaking.

An Alien Justice, 2000

Norms, Interests, and Values, 2015

Development Policy Research Center (DPRC), LUMS, Pakistan

Punjab Access to Justice Project Funded by the European Union (March 2015) Research conducted wit... more Punjab Access to Justice Project Funded by the European Union (March 2015) Research conducted with Syed Moazzam Ali Shah

Understanding the Informal Justice System: Opportunities and Possibilities for Legal Pluralism in... more Understanding the Informal Justice System: Opportunities and Possibilities for Legal Pluralism in Pakistan (Community Community Appraisal and Motivation Programme (CAMP) and Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, 2015. (Co-Author. Naveed Ahmad Shinwari)

IGC Working Paper - June 2014

Small & Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) comprise a sizeable portion of and play a significant rol... more Small & Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) comprise a sizeable portion of and play a significant role in Pakistan's economy. According to one recent extensive study 1 , total SMEs in the country number around 2 million, of which approximately 0.4 million are manufacturing units, 0.6 million are service sector units and the remaining 1 million are in the retailing/trade sector. According to the same study, SMEs constitute over 90% of the business establishments in Pakistan and contribute Rs. 34 billion (11%) annually to the GDP. 67% of the labour force in the Pakistani manufacturing sector works in SMEs engaged in manufacturing. Furthermore, 80% of the employment in the economy is created by SMEs. However, at the same time statistics from the same study tell us that 72% of the SMEs are sole proprietary concerns with only one third of the owners receiving a college education. Additionally, only 3% have received any technical training. In other words, the overwhelming bulk of SMEs are run in mostly an informal and unstructured manner as sole proprietorships, by people who have received little or no professional training and possibly limited access to technical advice and financial resources.

"Pakistan's Experience with Formal Law: An Alien Justice" has been awarded the American Institute... more "Pakistan's Experience with Formal Law: An Alien Justice" has been awarded the American Institute of Pakistan Studies (AIPS) Annual Book Prize 2014-15. The award was open to books published over the last three years as well as those about to go into print.
According to the award committee:
“Siddique’s book was chosen by the Committee because it focuses on an area not as much discussed as others like the military and geopolitical issues. Law and the multiple legal systems in play in Pakistan are major issues in contemporary Pakistan. Refreshingly, the book gives a *local* point of view, and displays the results of important bottom-up data gathering. Because of the relative novelty of its subject matter and clear, engaging prose, it is likely to attract numerous readers and draw potential scholars into the field of Pakistan studies.”
AIPS will publicly announce the award on October 24, 2015 at the AIPS Reception during the 44th Annual Conference on South Asia in Madison, Wisconsin.

IN his famous work Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Brazilian philosopher Paulo Freire writes that when... more IN his famous work Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Brazilian philosopher Paulo Freire writes that when a "situation ceases to present itself as a dense, enveloping reality or a tormenting blind alley, and [people] can come to perceive it as an objective-problematic situation …. [only then can] Humankind emerge from their submersion and acquire the ability to intervene in reality as it is unveiled." He calls for reflection and critical thinking to understand and deconstruct the "temporal-spatial conditions" of "situationality" in which people exist and through which people, their perceptions and their consequent realities are shaped.

NO matter how you look at it, Farzana Parveen's gruesome murder in broad daylight immediately out... more NO matter how you look at it, Farzana Parveen's gruesome murder in broad daylight immediately outside the Lahore High Court building is downright disturbing. It speaks of a perversion of family and social values, a criminal distortion of the very meaning of the word 'honour' and, more worryingly, the growing tendency of individuals to kill rather than to seek justice from the courts for the real or imagined wrongs they have suffered.

Cambridge Studies in Law & Society, 2013

The Daily Dawn, Jun 22, 2008

A conversation about books and personal libraries

The discussants responded to questions posed by the panel moderator as well as members of the pub... more The discussants responded to questions posed by the panel moderator as well as members of the public following the live discussion on the internet in the context of several key appointment by the federal government over the past few weeks, including those of the new Chief Justice of Pakistan and the new army chief, while many other important positions like the Chief Election Commissioner and the Chairman of Pakistan International Airlines remained vacant.

Osama Siddique, an Associate Professor at Lahore University of Management Sciences, recent S.J.D.... more Osama Siddique, an Associate Professor at Lahore University of Management Sciences, recent S.J.D. graduate from Harvard Law, and Pakistani legal scholar.

Human Rights Journal continues its conversation with Pakistani legal scholar Osama Siddique. This... more Human Rights Journal continues its conversation with Pakistani legal scholar Osama Siddique. This week, Professor Siddique discusses recent developments in the societal debate over the blasphemy laws. Part III is available HERE. Interviewer: James Tager J.D. '13 You've mentioned how enforcement of, along with perceptions of, the blasphemy laws is an evolving dynamic. Can you elaborate on how this debate has been evolving recently?

" Raise standards of investigations, prosecutions and court adjudications "

In his debut novel Natiq draws on his poetic prose and deep intimacy with the land and people of ... more In his debut novel Natiq draws on his poetic prose and deep intimacy with the land and people of Punjab to craft a compelling tale of enmity, revenge, social mobility, opportunism, past glory and lost grandeur. Review by Osama Siddique

The writer is an associate professor of law and policy at LUMS. He holds a doctorate in law from ... more The writer is an associate professor of law and policy at LUMS. He holds a doctorate in law from Harvard Law School and was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford osama.siddique@tribune.com.pk A grown person crying is not a pretty sight. It displays an abandonment of self dignitya resignation to circumstances. Late last winter, I was an unhappy witness to frequent such public displays of grief. They came from long-suffering litigants in the Lahore district courts. Several students and I were conducting a survey to understand the problems faced by ordinary litigants. We spoke to around five hundred randomly selected people. They were engaged in a variety of civil litigation. Their disputes pertained to land, property, contractual and family matters. We asked every interviewee 112 questions. Each interview consumed around 45 minutes. We concluded our 10-day exercise with 440 completed interviews. The data was scrutinised for any errors, consolidated and statistically analyzed. We also recorded interviewee stories and comments. What emerges is a depressing picture of hapless people trapped in a legal quagmire, seeking some redemption.

The writer is an associate professor of law and policy at LUMS. He holds a doctorate in law from ... more The writer is an associate professor of law and policy at LUMS. He holds a doctorate in law from Harvard Law School osama.siddique@tribune.com.pk Elsewhere, courts are mostly locations characterised by a solemn dignity. Our district courts, however, frequently present a spectacle. Last year, when my students and I were conducting a survey at the Lahore district courts, lawyers routinely thronged both sides of the narrow passage from the entrance to the main building. They pushed and jostled. For those trying to reach the court building, the passage was as forbiddingly cumbersome as an intricate legal strategy -or as elusive as the average Pakistani"s access to justice. The fact that this obstacle to smooth progress was posed by none other than a swarm of lawyers was rather ironic.

Scene One: Let's travel back a hundred and fifty years. The High Noon of the British Raj is appro... more Scene One: Let's travel back a hundred and fifty years. The High Noon of the British Raj is approaching. India's pre-colonial dispute resolution systems have been largely displaced by a multi-tiered formal adjudicative structure. A cadre of native judges has been trained and entrusted with administration of justice at the lower levels. There have been quite a few doubts, suspicions, murmurs of discontent, hiccups and false starts -and, consequently, realignments and reinforcements. The new system is now embedded. Its performance evaluation, it emerges, is based on hard data rather than idle rhetoric.

Podcast conversation with Dr. Nadeem ul Haq (December 2017)

Centre for Policy Research (CPR), New Delhi, India, January 20, 2016.

Lahore, Pakistan, January 13, 2016.

National Management College, National School of Public Policy, Pakistan, October 7, 2015

For Grade 20 federal and provincial officers undergoing training for further promotion at the 102... more For Grade 20 federal and provincial officers undergoing training for further promotion at the 102nd National Management Course (NMC) at the National Management College, National School of Public Policy, Lahore, Pakistan, April 3, 2015.

Title: “Legal Advisory and Representational Services in South Punjab: Key Findings of Baseline St... more Title: “Legal Advisory and Representational Services in South Punjab: Key Findings of Baseline Study of Availability and Priority Needs.”

Title: "“Pakistan’s Experience with Formal Law, Future of Reforms and Role of Universities and Sc... more Title: "“Pakistan’s Experience with Formal Law, Future of Reforms and Role of Universities and Scholarship in the Justice Discourse.”

In collaboration with the Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar and the Qatar Foundation. Envision... more In collaboration with the Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar and the Qatar Foundation. Envisioned, coordinated and co-taught the thematic stream ‘Thought and Method (TAM)’ along with Mikhail Xifares (Professor, Sciences Po Law School, Paris, France), Dina Waked (Assistant Professor, Sciences Po Law School, Paris, France), Hani Sayed (Assistant Professor, American University in Cairo) and, Richard Lehun (McGill University). (Title: “Judicialization of Politics: Pakistan Supreme Court’s Jurisprudence after the Lawyers’ Movement.”)

Punjab Judicial Academy, Lahore, Pakistan,

Organized and sponsored by the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan, Commercial Law Developm... more Organized and sponsored by the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan, Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP), Department of Commerce, United States of America, & Continuing Legal Education Institute of Pakistan (CLEIP). Islamabad, Pakistan

For Grade 20 federal and provincial officers undergoing training for further promotion at the 101... more For Grade 20 federal and provincial officers undergoing training for further promotion at the 101st National Management Course (NMC) at the National Management College, National School of Public Policy.

A Talk on 'Pakistan's Experience with Formal Law: An Alien Justice' (Cambridge: Cambridge Univers... more A Talk on 'Pakistan's Experience with Formal Law: An Alien Justice' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013)

Hosted by the Harvard Club of Pakistan, Lahore Chapter

Pakistan is a conference which will bring together scholars and activists from a wide range of di... more Pakistan is a conference which will bring together scholars and activists from a wide range of disciplinary perspectives in order to investigate the current challenges facing Pakistan. We hope this conference will provide scholars and the public with an opportunity to re-examine the very nature, modalities, and limitations of conventional policy formulations, and will explore a diversity of mechanisms and actors outside the state arena who are deeply invested in thinking about and enacting more positive change. The analytical framework underpinning the conference assumes that questions of human rights, defined in the broadest possible way, have to be dealt with in the context of the structure of power relationships in society as they have evolved historically. Given its thematic emphasis and concerns, the conference should allow for a deeper understanding of processes of socio-economic and political transformation within contemporary Pakistan, and within countries of the global south more generally.

The IGLP Workshop brought together over sixty senior and junior faculty members from leading univ... more The IGLP Workshop brought together over sixty senior and junior faculty members from leading universities of the world as well as close to a hundred participantsjunior faculty, policy-makers and doctoral as well as post-doctoral scholarsfrom over eighty countries, who in turn were selected from over five hundred high quality applicants engaged in advanced research in the areas of law and policy. The Workshop offered a rigorous and demanding residential programme for exploring innovative ideas and alternative approaches to issues of global law, economic policy, and social justice. Structured around a rich schedule of plenaries, special lectures, stream discussions and writing workshops organised around thirteen thematic streams the Workshop