Early Life
Zahir-ul-Hasan Lari was born in Gorakhpur, in the ertswhile United Provinces. After completing his undergraduate degree, he pursued an M.A. in History and an LL.B. from Aligarh Muslim University. Subsequently, he enrolled as an Advocate in the High Court.
In 1936, he was elected to the United Provinces Legislative Assembly. After becoming the deputy leader of the Muslim League in 1937, Lari served as deputy leader of the opposition from 1946 to 1948.
Role in India’s Independence Movement
Lari was not active in the freedom struggle.
Contribution to Constitution Making
Lari was appointed to the Constituent Assembly from the United Provinces on a Muslim League ticket. In the Assembly, he made important interventions in the debates on cultural and educational rights of minorities, and the right to life and liberty. He resigned from the Assembly in 1949.
Later Contributions
In May 1950, Lari migrated to Pakistan. He was appointed as the additional judge of the Sind Chief Court till December 1952. Later, he resigned from this post to join the Karachi bar.
- Lari moved a proposal to ensure that linguistic minorities had the fundamental right to receive primary education in their own language and script.
- He also vociferously defended the rights to fair procedure in depriving a person of their life or liberty, such as the right to appeal and the ‘due process of law’.