CCLS Alumna Shares her Multidisciplinary Career Journey in Legal Practice, Creative Writing and Human Rights
Mashal Sahir (Human Rights Law LLM, 2015): A Journey of Excellence in Law and Poetry.
Mashal Sahir (Human Rights Law LLM, 2015) shares her professional journey in human rights advocacy and legal practice whilst also being an internationally recognised poet.
“I am an LLM Human Rights Law graduate (Class of 2015, Merit) of the Centre for Commercial Law Studies (CCLS), and my professional journey reflects a sustained intersection of legal training, creative production, and public engagement. My work spans literature, journalism, and legal practice, shaped by the analytical rigor and global outlook cultivated during my time at Queen Mary University of London.
In late 2025, my literary work reached a significant international milestone when my second poetry collection, Atman – A Journey to Self, was translated into Punjabi (Gurmukhi) and published in India and subsequently featured at the 10th Amritsar Literature Festival, an internationally recognized platform, where my work contributed to cross-border cultural dialogue in a region marked by shared history and complex political memory.
This milestone represents the evolution of a literary journey that began at the age of seventeen with my debut collection, Love – The Unspoken Language, which is permanently recorded in the Library of Congress. My work has received critical acclaim from the late Intizar Hussain, a Man Booker International Prize finalist whose review appeared in Dawn. Its importance has further been affirmed through Inaugural Critical Appraisals and Forewords and Reviews by National Authorities, including Salima Hashmi, renowned artist, curator, and daughter of the legendary poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz. She praised its “confessional nature” and “youthful exuberance sublimated into poetic ruminations”. Najam Sethi, Award-winning journalist, former caretaker Chief Minister, and Editor of The Friday Times described it as a “universal coming-of-age experience with cold wisdom”. Most recently, the Gurmukhi translation received critical validation from Gurpreet (Mansa), Research Officer in the Punjab Language Department, India and esteemed poet, underscores the collection’s enduring cross-border impact.
Together, these formal endorsements, cross-border recognition, and institutional validations reflect a career that not only demonstrates excellence in literary craft but also embodies cultural leadership, mentorship, and public engagement at the highest levels - precisely the qualities celebrated by the Culture and Creativity Alumni Award.
Alongside my poetry, I have maintained a decade-long presence in public discourse, contributing extensively on social justice, human rights, and gender to leading national outlets, including The Express Tribune and Daily Times, using writing as a form of public advocacy for a national readership.
In parallel with my literary contributions, I serve as Managing Partner of M Square Legal Solutions, where I lead a specialist team of 15 practitioners. My commitment to social responsibility is reflected in my recent role as Chairperson of the Environmental & Human Rights Affairs Committee for the Lahore Bar Association (2023-2024). My legal education at CCLS has been instrumental in shaping a career that integrates precision, ethical reasoning, and social responsibility across both professional and cultural domains.
I hope my profile may serve to illustrate the breadth of pathways open to QMUL alumni, and to inspire current students to view their legal education as a foundation for leadership and influence beyond traditional professional boundaries.”