Maleeka Bokhari
Call: 2011
“Red Lion is well known to be a dynamic set with many barristers operating at the top end.”
Legal 500, 2022
Personal profile
Maleeka Bokhari is a barrister with more than a decade of experience across Pakistan’s diverse legal landscape. She has acted in complex and high-profile matters involving criminal litigation, anti-corruption, constitutional law, international dispute resolution, and human rights. Her practice has taken her before trial and appellate courts as well as Pakistan’s superior judiciary, where she has appeared in cases of national significance.
Maleeka’s career has consistently engaged the intersection of law, policy, and institutional reform. She has worked closely with government bodies, civil society, and international organisations, gaining a distinctive perspective on how legal frameworks shape governance and accountability.
She served as a Member of Parliament and Parliamentary Secretary for Law and Justice in the Government of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. In that role, she led the government’s legislative reform agenda and advised on some of the most consequential criminal and constitutional cases in Pakistan’s recent history. Her leadership was central to the passage of landmark reforms that continue to have lasting impact.
A significant focus of Maleeka’s work has been gender justice. She spearheaded key laws on sexual violence against women and the enforcement of women’s property rights, adopting a survivor-centred approach that is widely recognised as transformative. She has represented the Government of Pakistan in domestic courts and assisted in international representations, including before the International Court of Justice.
In parallel with her courtroom and parliamentary work, Maleeka has been an active advocate for rights-based reform. She has consistently sought to connect legal practice with wider public policy, ensuring that reforms reflect both institutional needs and the lived experiences of those they are designed to protect
Following a decade of high-level practice and legislative reform in Pakistan, Maleeka has returned to the UK Bar. She brings with her a wealth of transferable legal, policy, and advocacy expertise. Her strategic litigation background and reform experience, combined with a comparative international perspective, enable her to provide unique insight and depth in her work before UK courts.
Current Practice
Maleeka defends in a range of criminal matters in both the Magistrates’ Court and the Crown Court, including cases involving violence, sexual offences, dishonesty, and public order. Her courtroom advocacy is marked by clarity, compassion, and strategic focus, particularly in cases involving vulnerable complainants or politically sensitive contexts.
In addition to her core criminal practice, Maleeka has experience in regulatory and quasi-criminal proceedings. She has acted in cases involving Sexual Risk Orders (SROs) and continues to build expertise in safeguarding-related applications and post-conviction restrictions.
During her probationary tenancy Maleeka has been pupil to Jenni Dempster KC, with whom she assisted in several complex homicide trials. Through this experience, she developed substantial insight into the preparation and conduct of high-profile and sensitive murder cases, including joint perpetration.
Maleeka is currently undertaking her probationary tenancy under the supervision of Hugh French.
Crime
Maleeka has over ten years’ experience handling complex and sensitive criminal cases, including those involving gender-based violence, politically motivated prosecutions, and high-profile state prosecutions in Pakistan.
Her practice in Pakistan involved representing both the state and individuals in courts, often in cases with major media and public attention.
Featured Cases
- State v Zahir Jaffer –(2021) Prosecuted the brutal murder of Noor Mukadam in a landmark gender justice trial.
- State v Usman Mirza –(2021) Successfully prosecuted based on video evidence despite victim retraction.
- State v Qandeel Baloch (2022) – Filed appeal against acquittal of the victim’s brother in honour killing case before the Supreme Court.
- State v Shah Mehmood Qureshi(2024) – Represented former Foreign Minister in high-profile Cypher case involving allegations of violation of the Official Secrets Act 2021
Business Crime & Fraud
Maleeka has five years of experience in business crime and anti-corruption laws in Pakistan. Her work spans legislative drafting, public accountability litigation, and FATF compliance.
In her tenure as Parliamentary Secretary for Law and Justice, Maleeka was responsible for the drafting and passage of amendments to Pakistan’s anti-corruption legislation, most notably the National Accountability (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021. She played an instrumental role in the legal team that navigated the passage of FATF-related laws aimed at removing Pakistan from the ‘grey list’. This involved reforms to Anti-Money Laundering, Counter Terrorist Financing, and Mutual Legal Assistance frameworks.
More recently, Maleeka was involved in litigation before the Supreme Court of Pakistan challenging amendments to the National Accountability laws in 2023.
During this period, she worked closely with the Federal Law Minister of Pakistan, Barrister Farogh Naseem, contributing to the national legal reform agenda.
Featured Cases
- Member of legal team in the Panama Papers case (Imran Ahmad Khan v Mian Nawaz Sharif, PLD 2017 SC 265)
- Assisted in the Supreme Court case against Supreme Court Judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa for non-disclosure of family assets (PLD 2021 SC 1)
- Legal reform contributions to FATF compliance including drafting and enactment of anti-money laundering and mutual legal assistance legislation across Pakistan
International
Maleeka has assisted in representing Pakistan before the International Court of Justice in. Between 2019 and 2022, she served as a Member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) for Pakistan.
Notable engagements
- Legal team for India v Pakistan (Jadhav Case) before the International Court of Justice
- Participated in ICSID arbitrations on behalf of Pakistan, including Tethyan Copper Company and Karkey Karadeniz
Civil Liberties & Human Rights
Maleeka is nationally recognised for championing women’s rights, access to justice and legal empowerment. She led the drafting and passage of key laws designed to safeguard women and vulnerable groups in Pakistan.
Maleeka is nationally recognised for her advocacy on women’s rights, access to justice, and legal empowerment. She has led the drafting and passage of transformative legislation designed to protect women and vulnerable groups in Pakistan. Her work has been instrumental in shaping legal frameworks that promote equality, accountability, and institutional reform.
As Chair of the Anti-Rape Committee, she was instrumental in implementation of the Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) Act 2021, a landmark statute which abolished two-finger testing and established survivor-centred protocols and special courts.
Under the government of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, Maleeka led the enactment of several landmark legislative reforms aimed at improving access to justice and protecting vulnerable groups. These included the Enforcement of Women’s Property Rights Act, which strengthened protections for women asserting their ownership rights; the Legal Aid and Justice Authority Act, which established a national framework for state-funded legal aid; and the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, which introduced critical changes to Pakistan’s criminal justice framework.
Key Legislation Drafted or Led:
- Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) Act, 2021
- Enforcement of Women’s Property Rights (Amendment) Act, 2021
- Legal Aid and Justice Authority Act, 2020
- Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2021
- Code of Civil Procedure (Amendment) Act, 2020
- National Accountability (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021
Rule of Law and Capacity Building
Maleeka has extensive expertise in justice sector reform and has advised governments on implementing rule of law initiatives. At the forefront of Pakistan Government’s Law Reform Agenda, she worked closely with prosecutors and institutional stakeholders to improve prosecutorial standards and legal accountability mechanisms. In 2021, she was appointed to the Prime Minister’s Prisoner Reform Committee, where she played a central role in advocating for humane detention conditions, rehabilitation, and rights-based prison governance.
Earlier in her career, at the age of 18, Maleeka served as a member of the Independent Monitoring Board of Horfield Prison in the United Kingdom, demonstrating her longstanding commitment to penal reform.
As part of the Prime Minister’s 100-Day Agenda in Pakistan, she led the drafting of the Action Plan for Women and Girls in the Justice System , a national policy framework aimed at addressing structural barriers to justice for women. Her ability to lead complex reforms, bridge legal policy with implementation, and deliver measurable change makes her a trusted advisor to governments and institutions working to strengthen justice systems and advance the rule of law.
Maleeka has advised on systemic reform and policy development to ensure access to justice. She co-drafted the Gender Strategy for the British High Commission and led training initiatives for prosecutors under Pakistan’s Rule of Law Programme.
Professional Appointments
- Member, Permanent Court of Arbitration (2019-2022)
- Former Member of Parliament, Pakistan (2018–2023)
- Parliamentary Secretary for Law and Justice (2018–2022)
- Chair, Anti-Rape Committee, Pakistan (2021–2022)
- Member, Prime Minister’s Prisoner Aid Committee (2020–2022)
- Young Global Leader, World Economic Forum (2021–2025)
- Trustee, Shewise (UK Charity) 2024-ongoing
Education
- LLB, University of the West of England
- BVC, Cardiff University
- Global Public Policy & Leadership Diploma, Harvard Kennedy School
Awards
- Queen Mother Scholar, Middle Temple
- Helena Kennedy Bursary Award Winner
Memberships
- Middle Temple
- Islamabad Bar Council
- Young Fraud Lawyers Association
- Criminal Bar Association
Languages
- Urdu
- Punjabi
- Hindi