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ISLAMABAD: A full court reference in honour of Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry will be held today (Wednesday) as he is retiring after serving as judge of the apex court and Chief Justice of Pakistan for more than one decade.
The reference will be held in Court Room No.1.
According to sources of the Registrar office of the Supreme Court, full court reference will be held today (Wednesday) and all the judges of the apex court will participate in the reference. Attorney General for Pakistan Munir A Malik, Vice Chairman Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) Syed Qalab e Hassan and President Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Kamran Murtaza will deliver their speeches on the occasion.
The outgoing Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry will also deliver his speech on the occasion and highlight performance of the judiciary regarding dispensation of justice in the country especially the role of apex court.
According to biodata of the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry who is retiring today, was born on December 12, 1948 and completed his early education from Quetta, Balochistan and did his LLB from Sindh.
His lordship enrolled as an advocate of district courts in the year 1974, as Advocate High Court in 1976 and as Advocate Supreme Court in 1985, and practiced law in all fields/subjects like Constitutional, Criminal, Civil,Tax, Revenue, etc.
He was elected as President Balochistan Bar Association, Quetta in 1986 and was elected twice as Member Balochistan Bar Council.
He was appointed as advocate general Balochistan in 1989. He was elevated as Additional Judge of High Court of Balochistan in the month of November, 1990.
He also discharged duties as banking judge, judge special court for speedy trials, judge customs appellate court as well as company judge.
He was appointed as chairman Balochistan Local Council Election Authority in the year 1992 and thereafter for second term in the year 1998.
He was appointed as permanent Judge of Balochistan High Court in the year 1993. He also remained as Chairman Provincial Review Board for the Province of Balochistan on the recommendations of the Chief Justice of Pakistan.
Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was also appointed twice as chairman of Pakistan Red Crescent Society Balochistan by government of Balochistan.
He was appointed as Chief Justice of High Court of Balochistan on April 22, 1999. After serving about one year, he was elevated as Judge Supreme Court of Pakistan on February 4, 2000.
He also remained as chairman, Enrollment Committee of Pakistan Bar Council.
Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was also appointed as judge incharge Supreme Court Staff Welfare Committee by the then Chief Justice of Pakistan.
He was appointed as Chief Justice of Pakistan and took oath of the office on June 30, 2005.
However, he was rendered dysfunctional from March 9, 2007 to July 20, 2007 and from November 3, 2007 to March 16, 2009.
His lordship attended 22nd Biennial Congress on the Law of the World held in Beijing & Shanghai, China in September, 2005 and participated in International Conference and Showcase on Judicial Reforms held in the Philippines in November, 2005.
He also visited United Kingdom in February, 2006 in connection with The UK-Pakistan Judicial Protocol on Child and Family Laws.
Attended XVII World Congress of the “International Association of Youth and Family Judges and Magistrates” at Belfast, Northern Ireland in August, 2006.
Visited Malaysia in August, 2006 to deliver a Public Lecture on the topic, “The Relationship between Law and Mortality in Islamic Common Law System”.
Visited India on Golden Jubilee Celebration of Indian Law Institute in November, 2006.
Attended the Symposium on 47th Anniversary of the Constitutional Court of Turkey in April, 2009.
Attended the 17th Commonwealth Law Conference on “Emerging Economics and the Rule of Law – Opportunities and Challenges” in Hyderabad, India in February, 2011.
His lordship attended International Conference of Jurists 28th-29th May, 2012, United Kingdom.
He was also awarded different awards by the International Organizations including the National Law Journal, published in the United States,honoured him as the lawyer of the year for 2007.
The Nova Southeastern University conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa. The Honorary Degree Citation of May 10, 2008.
The Association of the Bar of the City of New York also granted Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry an honorary membership in the association on November 17, 2008, recognizing him as a “symbol of the movement for judicial and lawyer independence in Pakistan.”
He also received Medal of Freedom from the Harvard Law School (HLS).
First Life time Achievement Award.
The Karachi Tax Bar Association also presented First Life Time Achievement Award to Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry in recognition of His lordship struggle for rule of law and independence of judiciary on March 3, 2012.
Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry received International Jurists Award 2012 from Rt. Hon. Lord Phillips, President of Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, conferred by International Jurists Council on May 28, 2012 in recognition of his Lordship’s unique and tremendous contribution in the field of administration of justice.
The Sindh High Court Bar Association conferred Life Time Achievement Award to Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on September 28, 2012.
On Tuesday, addressing the last full court meeting led by him, Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry expressed satisfaction on the way the judiciary.
Appreciating Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry s efforts, the chief justice-designate Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jilani said the outgoing chief justice possesses strong nerves. “I feel proud to have been part of his team,” he added.
On the occasion, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa said that he would proudly tell his grandsons that he worked with the chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
Lauding the hard work of Justice Chaudhry, Justice Saqib Nisar said that the chief justice played the best innings and called him Sachin Tendulkar of the apex court.
Addressing the full court, Justice Jawwad S Khawaja said that he is short of words to appreciate the efforts of the retiring chief justice.
Highlighting the significance of the verdicts, Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali said that each verdict of Justice Chaudhry is a landmark.
Paying tribute to the leadership of retiring chief justice, Justice Nasir ul Mulk said the leadership qualities of Justice Chaudhry are priceless.
Justice Amir Hani Muslim said that the personalities like the outgoing chief justice are born in centuries.
