On 19 August 2020, Karim tweeted his concerns at the current Government's lack of commitment to human rights, which was misreported by some in the media.

He qualified as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales in 1997 and rose to becoming an equity partner quickly, specialising in cases of serious fraud defence work.

He is interested in human rights issues, including child labour and the civil liberties of EU citizens in the War on Terror.

On 26 November 2008, whilst visiting India as part of a European Parliament Committee on International Trade delegation (ahead of an EU-India summit), he was caught in the 2008 Mumbai attacks in the lobby of the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower hotel.

Karim has spent a considerable amount of his time working towards a reduction in EU regulations and red tape on businesses, particularly SMEs.

In October 2011 he was appointed as the European Parliament rapporteur on a new report that will look at improving the law-making process across the EU and reducing the legislative burden.

[12] In July 2011, the English Defence League staged an anti-Islamic protest outside his family home near Burnley, allegedly regarding new EU proposals on the labelling of halal meat.

The Advisory Committee provides guidance to MEPs and advises the Parliament's president on what steps to take in the event of alleged breaches of the code.

The incumbent Martin Schultz retained his position as president, with Karim coming second out of four candidates, widely acknowledged that he secured support from MEPs right across the house beyond his own group.

Karim made headline news in December 2012 when he played an instrumental role in securing the return of six-year-old Atiya Anjum-Wilkinson to UK from Pakistan following abduction by her father.

Over several weeks he worked closely with Greater Manchester Police and the Pakistani authorities and Atiya was returned safely to her mother during the Christmas holidays.

[16] From 2014 to 2019, Karim steered the European Parliament's relations with the South Caucasus as chair of the region's delegation, successfully contributing to the establishment of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement with Armenia and its GSP+ trading regime.

In 2018, the European Parliament - as part of its 2019 election campaign - displayed a poster on the Simone Veil Agora, featuring a photo of an ordinary Muslim family, captioned with ‘We need to work together to challenge migration’.

[18] Karim was awarded an Honorary Doctorate for the University of Management and Technology in Lahore for his work in securing the GSP+ deal and for services to the British Pakistani community.