In 2019, the Lahore High Court in Pakistan declared that the government has a duty to ensure excess food is not wasted, and any food waste violates a Constitutional “right to life.” This seminal case found that the government must ensure excess food makes it to those in need – one of the first cases to tie government action to reducing food loss. It is now the subject of an April 3 Harvard Law School event, “Food Waste Violates Human Rights: A Decision from Pakistan.” We spoke with case petitioner Hafsa Ahmad (LLM ’24), who previewed the upcoming event for us.
Mittal Institute: Hafsa, you practiced law for more than six years in Pakistan, where you were a Senior Associate on the international arbitration team for the firm Cornelius, Lane & Mufti. How did you get started in law – what drew you to the field?
Hafsa Ahmad: I love this question! I’ve known I wanted to be a lawyer since I was in the 6th grade and we had a Mock Trial in my class. This was a few years after 9/11 and the mock case was the prosecution of a hate crime against a Muslim-American girl, something that I (and many other Muslims at the time) had firsthand experience of. Growing up in post-9/11 America exposed me to the many injustices faced by minorities and the feeling of helplessness when you are “outside” the system. I knew from that age that I wanted to understand and change the justice system to make it both accessible for those outside the system and also to use the law to implement positive change for those who need it the most. After my undergraduate degree at Middlebury, I moved to Pakistan and studied law there. While working, I devoted some of my time to representing women in family cases (divorce, maintenance, custody, etc.) pro bono in an effort to keep that goal alive.
Hafsa Ahmad.
Mittal Institute: Can you share more about your role in this seminal case? Why was it such an important ruling, and what did it mean for you to be involved in the case?
Hafsa Ahmad: The Robin Hood Army is a brilliant organization in Pakistan which takes food from restaurants and redistributes it to the needy. My involvement with this organization led me to appear as one of the petitioners in this case, as I had firsthand experience of the frustration of trying to solve the crisis of food injustice and food insecurity suffered by many in Pakistan. It meant so much to be involved in this seminal case because it was the first time that the courts in Pakistan recognized the fundamental right to food in our country. We had long recognized the right to life, but what is the right to life if people do not have access to basic needs such as food, water, electricity? The Lahore High Court’s willingness to recognize the right to food as a basic human right was a crucial step towards addressing the issue of food injustice in Pakistan and I am so grateful that I could contribute in some small way to that.
Mittal Institute: How has the ruling impacted the people of Pakistan since 2019?
Hafsa Ahmad: The Disposal of Excess Food Regulation 2019 directs restaurants, and other food operators, to work with food donor organisations (such as Robin Hood Army) to donate and distribute their surplus food to food insecure communities to work towards reducing food wastage across the province. The judgment, and the connected regulations, must continue to be promoted and enforced at the provincial level in order for us to see long-term change. I would say that the ruling has forced the government to recognize the food crisis and begin to take steps to resolve it.
Left: Hafsa in front of the Supreme Court of Pakistan building in Islamabad; Right: Hafsa before the Chief Justice Block in the Lahore High Court.
Mittal Institute: You will be joined in discussion by the barrister who argued the case, Muhammad Ahmad Pansota; The Honorable Justice Jawad Hassan of the Lahore High Court; and moderator Emily Broad Leib, Director of the HLS Food Law and Policy Clinic. What will each of the panelists bring to the discussion?
Hafsa Ahmad: Each of the panelists played a distinct, key role in the case. The petition was essentially the brainchild of Ahmad Pansota, who has rich experience in filing important public interest petitions before the Lahore High Court, including rights of transgender persons and prohibiting animal cruelty. My own contribution was on behalf of a food redistribution organization that was actively working on the issue of food waste, so I will speak about our experience of trying to fill the food gap between available, surplus food and food insecure communities. Justice Hassan, the author of the ruling, will bring the perspective of the judiciary and its role in recognizing the basic human rights of citizens in Pakistan. Professor Broad Leib, director of HLS’s Food Law and Policy Clinic, advised us on drafting regulations addressing food waste in an effective, sustainable manner.
Mittal Institute: With your graduation from HLS this May, what is next for you professionally?
Hafsa Ahmad: I am exploring opportunities within the legal field that will allow me to balance my interest in international law with my passion for human rights, including working on food injustice and women’s rights! I am hopeful that, whatever path I may take, I will continue to work towards the dream that I’ve had since the 6th grade of making the justice system work for those who need it the most.
☆ The views represented herein are those of the interview subjects and do not necessarily reflect the views of LMSAI, its staff, or its steering committee.