October 20; The board, management and entire team of PILDAT mourn the passing away of Senator S. M. Zafar who left this world for his heavenly abode on October 19, 2023.
Senator S. M. Zafar advised and mentored many of PILDAT initiatives from our inception to our journey spanning over the past two decades. In his role as Chairperson of the PILDAT Board of Advisors, his leadership nurtured PILDAT’s ethos in Constitutionalism, Democracy and Rule of Law.
Senator S. M. Zafar devoted his invaluable time, all in an honorary capacity, in shaping and guiding many flagship areas of PILDAT’s work but his most abiding passion and interest remained imparting knowledge and capacity building to Pakistan’s younger generation in democracy and democratic governance through the Youth Parliament Pakistan (YPP). As the chairman of the Youth Parliament Steering Committee, he remained involved in each step from the criteria and process of selection of young people, their orientation and training, mentoring and guidance and evaluation and accolades. He would spend his busy and precious time in pouring over every detail to facilitate a valuable learning of parliamentary democracy to the youth of Pakistan. Members of the Youth Parliament Pakistan who have had the honour to be personally guided by him are now serving in Pakistan’s Parliament and Provincial Assemblies, various branches of civil service and the legal profession. They join PILDAT team in sharing our deepest admiration for the extraordinary public scholar of Pakistan. Pakistan is left poorer without Senator S. M. Zafar.
While PILDAT feels bereft without his guidance, we are immensely grateful to have had the unmatched honour and privilege for his iconic and humane leadership.
PILDAT Board and all its staff wish to extend their heart-felt condolences to the wife, daughter, sons, grand children and other members of Zafar Sahib’s family and pray for the departed soul.
