He briefly led the PPP before being imprisoned by the Zia regime, eventually leaving the party over differences with Benazir Bhutto, and retiring from politics.

Returning to private practice, Pirzada rose to Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court, becoming one of the country's leading lawyers.

He first met fellow lawyer Zulfikar Ali Bhutto when both were associates at Dingomal Ramchandani's law chambers in Karachi.

[3][4] In 1973, Pirzada assumed control of the Ministry of Law and Justice, after Mahmud Ali Kasuri resigned from the post over differences with Bhutto.

Elected an MNA again in 1977, Pirzada was a key member of the three-member government team that negotiated, unsuccessfully, a deal with the PNA opposition grouping.

During that time, he was the Finance Minister of Pakistan for a little over three months, before the PPP-led government was overthrown by military coup by (see Fair Play) General Zia-ul-Haq, then-Chief of Army Staff.

[5] On 24 March, Pirzada informed Bhutto in jail that the President of Pakistan was able to change a death sentence into one of life imprisonment.

[5] Undaunted, Pirzada filed a petition to President General Zia-ul-Haq, who was serving at the time as Chief Martial Law Administrator.

[5] Following the ouster of the PPP Government and the imposition of martial law by General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, Pirzada developed differences with Nusrat and Benazir Bhutto.

[citation needed] On his return to Pakistan in the late 1980s, Pirzada withdrew from active politics and fully concentrated on his legal career.