ARABIAN TIMES NEWS NETWORK
35 years old, Masters from Stanford University in Business, Waqar Zaka has been one of Pakistan’s most vocal public advocates for cryptocurrency and digital rights. During the Imran Khan government, when cryptocurrency activities faced restrictions, Waqar Zaka personally appeared before the Sindh High Court and argued his own case after no lawyer agreed to pursue it. The case continued from 2019 to 2020.
In December 2020, the court granted relief, with Waqar Zaka arguing that the State Bank of Pakistan had no specific legal provision authorizing a blanket ban on cryptocurrency. The decision became a significant development in Pakistan’s crypto debate. Waqar Zaka also challenged the proposed ban on PUBG, arguing that electronic sports should not be restricted without proper legal justification. The court proceedings ultimately prevented the game’s ban from taking effect.
In another public interest case, Waqar Zaka challenged the outdated computer science curriculum in Sindh. Following legal proceedings and public debate with then Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood, he obtained court directions that led to updates in the Sindh textbook curriculum. These became three major public interest cases in which Waqar Zaka represented himself in court and secured favorable outcomes.
Following these legal victories, Waqar Zaka continued campaigning for Pakistan to adopt a national Bitcoin reserve, arguing in 2021 that delaying Bitcoin adoption could prove costly in the future. During the same period, legal action was initiated against him over his cryptocurrency-related educational and promotional content. His Bank AL Habib account was reportedly frozen, and an FIR alleging electronic fraud was registered in January 2021.
That case has since been concluded. The court discharged Waqar Zaka after the NCCIA withdrew the prosecution, finding no criminal liability in the transactions under review. The court accepted that his income originated from online monetization and that promoting cryptocurrency, by itself, did not constitute a criminal offence under the applicable law.
Alongside his legal advocacy, Waqar Zaka has represented Pakistan in international online live trading competitions, competing against professional traders from around the world in cryptocurrency and traditional financial markets. Over the years, he has achieved top global rankings in multiple international contests and has helped popularize the concept of publicly livestreaming real-money trading, where every trade, profit and loss is visible to viewers in real time.
Since 2016, Waqar Zaka has also been invited to international blockchain and cryptocurrency conferences, where he has represented Pakistan while promoting blockchain technology, digital assets and financial innovation. His transition from mainstream television into financial technology has been one of the most notable career shifts by a Pakistani media personality.
Before entering the blockchain industry, Waqar Zaka was widely known as the executive producer and host of Living on the Edge, one of Pakistan’s highest-rated reality television shows, whose clips continue to circulate widely on social media. He later shifted his focus from television to technology, education and financial markets.
Waqar Zaka is a Civil Engineering graduate from NED University of Engineering & Technology and later completed the Stanford Ignite entrepreneurship program at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Today, he continues to combine technology, blockchain education, public-interest litigation and international trading competitions while representing Pakistan on global platforms.
