Justice (R) Zia Mehmood laid to rest in Chakwal

LAHORE: Justice (R) Zia Mehmood Mirza, who breathed his last on Monday, was laid to rest in his ancestral village Mulhal Mughlan, District Chakwal.

Earlier in the day, his funeral prayers were offered in lahore. Justice Mirza was born in the village of Mulhal Mughlan, District Chakwal, on 21 April, 1932. After doing matric from Government High School Jhelum in 1948, he completed his undergraduate studies from Gordon College, Rawalpindi in 1952. He passed LLB from the Punjab University Law College in 1959. After starting his professional career as a lawyer in 1959 at Jhelum, he shifted to Lahore in 1960 where he established his office at 4-Mozang Road neighbourhood.

He was elected as Secretary Lahore High Court Bar Association for the year 1974-75. He remained associated with teaching of law as adjunct professor with different colleges included his alma mater University Law College.

In March 1984, he became judge of Lahore High Court from where he retired in 1994 and was elevated to the Supreme Court of Pakistan. He retired as the Supreme Court judge in 1997 after having delivered the famous and the only dissenting opinion in the case of Benazir Bhutto vs. President of Pakistan.

Previously, Justice Mirza had also served as the Secretary Law for Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in 1990. In 1996, as chairperson of the Wage Board Award he issued verdict in the 6th Wage Board Award for working journalists.

He is survived by a son Justice Shams Mehmood Mirza and two daughters namely Farah Zia who is director HRCP and Dr Iram Zia, a professor of textile design at NCA. His wife Fazal Mirza died in 2019.

His soyem will be held on Thursday (tomorrow), between Asr and Maghrib prayer near his house at Punjab Quran Academy, Scotch Corner, Upper Mall Lahore.