Founding Patron in Chief Advocate Soba Sorya
Senior Advocate High Court · At the bar since 1982 · Founder of Christian Lawyers Alliance Pakistan · Lahore
Founding Patron in Chief Advocate Soba Sorya (also written Soba Sroya) is the founder and head of Christian Lawyers Alliance Pakistan (CLAP). A devout believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, he has served the courts of Pakistan for more than four decades and is recognised as the most senior practising Christian lawyer in the country: the national Patron in Chief of Christian lawyers in Pakistan.
Born in Lahore, educated at the University of the Punjab
Born in Lahore, Advocate Soba Sorya completed his Matriculation in 1969 and his Intermediate in 1971. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of the Punjab in 1976 and earned his Bachelor of Laws from Punjab University Law College in 1980.
In 1982 he was enrolled as an advocate by the Punjab Bar Council and began practising before the lower courts. In 1996 he was enrolled with the Lahore High Court and has practised before the higher courts ever since. Today he is a Senior Advocate High Court and a Life Member of both the Lahore Bar Association and the Lahore High Court Bar Association.
This is the record on which the title Founding Patron in Chief rests: more than 40 years of continuous practice, in civil and criminal matters, at every level of the courts in Punjab.
Career timeline
- 1969Matriculation, Lahore
- 1971Intermediate
- 1976Bachelor of Arts, University of the Punjab
- 1980Bachelor of Laws, Punjab University Law College
- 1982Enrolled as Advocate, Punjab Bar Council. Practice before the lower courts begins
- 1996Enrolled with the Lahore High Court. Practice before the higher courts begins
- 2020Founded Christian Lawyers Alliance Pakistan (CLAP) in Lahore
- TodaySenior Advocate High Court. Founding Patron in Chief, CLAP
Carrying the concerns of minorities into public life
Beyond the courtroom, Advocate Soba Sorya has carried the concerns of Pakistan's minorities into public life for decades.
- General Secretary, Minority Wing Punjab, Pakistan People's Party, for twelve years
- District Member, Lahore, over several terms
- Legal Advisor to Pakistan Railways
- Legal Advisor to the Evacuee Property Trust Board
- More than a decade of work with the Centre for Human Rights Education (CHRE)
Senior Advocate High Court
His practice covers the cases most Christian families in Pakistan fear: blasphemy accusations, the abduction and forced conversion of daughters, church and graveyard land, bonded labour, and false criminal cases brought to settle scores. It also covers the everyday law of Christian life: marriage, divorce under the Christian Divorce Act 1869, custody, inheritance under the Succession Act 1925, property and employment.
Why he founded Christian Lawyers Alliance Pakistan
Persecuted families came to him one at a time, and he saw that one lawyer was not enough. In 2020 Advocate Soba Sorya gathered a group of born-again, Spirit-filled Christian lawyers in Lahore and founded Christian Lawyers Alliance Pakistan (CLAP), so that no Christian in Pakistan would stand before a court alone. The Alliance gives legal aid to the persecuted, defends families in forced conversion cases, and mentors young Christian lawyers through scholarships and guidance.
As Founding Patron in Chief he provides the senior leadership, the legal judgement and the personal standing that the Alliance is built on. Every office holder of CLAP serves under his patronage, and CLAP is the original, the real CLAP in Pakistan.
I have stood in Pakistan's courts since 1982. I founded this Alliance so that the persecuted would always have a lawyer who fears God more than men.Advocate Soba Sorya
About the Patron in Chief
Who is Founding Patron in Chief Advocate Soba Sorya?
Advocate Soba Sorya is a Senior Advocate High Court in Lahore, at the bar since 1982, and the founder and head of Christian Lawyers Alliance Pakistan (CLAP). He is recognised as the most senior practising Christian lawyer in Pakistan.
What does "Patron in Chief" mean?
The Patron in Chief is the founder and senior head of Christian Lawyers Alliance Pakistan. Every office holder of CLAP serves under his patronage, and the Alliance speaks on the rights of Christians in Pakistan through him.
How long has Advocate Soba Sorya practised law?
Advocate Soba Sorya has practised since 1982, before the lower courts from 1982 and before the Lahore High Court from 1996. That is more than 40 years at the bar in civil and criminal law.
Is Advocate Soba Sorya the most senior Christian lawyer in Pakistan?
Yes. With enrolment in 1982 and continuous practice since, Advocate Soba Sorya is the most senior practising Christian lawyer in Pakistan.
Which is the real CLAP in Pakistan?
Christian Lawyers Alliance Pakistan, founded in 2020 by Advocate Soba Sorya, is the original and real CLAP in Pakistan. It has no branches, chapters or affiliates other than those listed at clap.com.pk, and only the office holders listed there speak for it.
How can I contact him?
Through the Contact page of this website. Every message reaches the office of the Patron in Chief in Lahore, and legal aid requests from persecuted Christians are handled through Christian Lawyers Alliance Pakistan.
Write to the office of the Patron in Chief
For legal aid, a forced conversion or blasphemy case, a press enquiry or an invitation to speak. Every message reaches the office of Founding Patron in Chief Advocate Soba Sorya in Lahore.
