Azmat Saeed

Sheikh Azmat Saeed (born 28 August 1954) is a retired judge from the Supreme Court of Pakistan. He has served the judiciary in various capacities and has been part of several significant cases and decisions in Pakistan's legal history.

Early life and career
Saeed commenced his legal career in Rawalpindi in 1978 following the completion of his LL.B degree. He gained experience by working in different law chambers before eventually establishing his own independent practice in Lahore in 1980. Subsequently, in 1981, he was enrolled as an Advocate of the Lahore High Court and also as an Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, marking significant milestones in his legal profession.

Appointment as Supreme Court judge
Saeed was sworn in as a permanent judge of the Supreme Court on 1 June 2012. The oath-taking ceremony was presided over by the Chief Justice of Pakistan at the time, Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. Before assuming this role, Saeed held the position of Chief Justice at the Lahore High Court.

Acting Chief Justice of Pakistan
In July 2019, Saeed took on the role of acting Chief Justice of Pakistan.

Controversies and legal challenges
A petition was filed to challenge Saeed's assignment as the leader of the inquiry committee for the Broadsheet LLC scandal. Nevertheless, the petition was rejected.

In another case, the government retracted Saeed's selection as an arbitrator for resolving a conflict concerning Rs52 billion with 12 independent power producers (IPPs) established under the 2002 policy.

Retirement and post-retirement work
Saeed concluded his tenure at the Supreme Court in 2019 and was commemorated with full-court reference within the Supreme Court.

During his farewell address, Saeed emphasized the significance of maintaining an impartial judiciary and expressed his desire for an uninterrupted provision of justice without any compromises.

Following his retirement, Saeed was appointed to lead the government's inquiry committee tasked with investigating the Broadsheet LLC scandal.

Recognition
Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, in his comments, described Saeed as a valuable asset to the superior judiciary. He acknowledged that the departing judge had authored numerous significant judgments and clarified many ambiguous issues during his tenure at the highest court.