Reference for stalwarts in legal fraternity

LHC celebrations

LAHORE

The 150th celebrations of the Lahore High Court are incomplete without paying homage and tribute to elders in legal fraternity, said Lahore High Court Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah while addressing the condolence reference to pay tribute to late judges and notable lawyers of the Lahore High Court on Wednesday.  This condolence reference was one segment of the LHC ongoing celebrations which would conclude on December 10.

The CJ said: “It is a wonderful tradition of the LHC and today we relive this ceremonious yet solemn tradition by honouring some of our illustrious judges and advocates, who are not amongst us anymore”. He said last condolence reference took place in 2009. The CJ said: “Starting our journey in 1866, this illustrious court has completed 150 years of dispensing justice this year. Our 150th anniversary would be incomplete if we did not pay homage and tribute to our elders. Judges and advocates gave golden years of their life to this institution, leaving an indelible mark on the memory of this institution”. While reading the reference and paying tribute to the late judges, he said, Justice KMA Samdani was born on May 13, 1932. He joined government service as CSP officer in 1954 and later he opted to join judicial service and was appointed as a special civil judge, Peshawar. He was appointed as Addl District & Sessions Judge in 1963. He remained DSJ Abbotabad, Hazara and Sialkot. Later he was appointed as registrar of High Court of West Pakistan, Lahore. He was elevated as a Judge of LHC in 1972 and remained judge till 1981.

He did not take oath under PCO in 1981 and consequently was deemed to have resigned from service. He passed away on April 11, 2013, the CJ said. He said Justice Dr Javid Iqbal born in Sialkot on October 5, 1924. He was enrolled as an advocate High Court, Lahore and concurrently lectured as part-time lecturer and reader at the University Law College, Lahore from 1956 to 1970. He represented Pakistan as a delegate at the United Nations from 1960 to 1962, as well as, in 1977 and during this period also lectured on the ideology of Pakistan at numerous universities in the United States, Canada, Europe and Turkey.

He was a visiting professor at the University of Mexico for a period of four months in 1962 where he gave a series of lectures on Islamic Culture, the CJ said. He was elected President of the Lahore High Court Bar Association in 1968 and Member Pakistan Bar Council in 1969. He was elevated as judge of the LHC on 30th July, 1971 and appointed as Chief Justice of the LHC on 21st March 1985. He was elevated to Supreme Court of Pakistan on 5th of October, 1986. He passed away on October 30, 2015, he said. The CJ said Justice Abdul Ghafoor Khan Lodhi born on 10th of June 1916.

He had held various judicial posts from time to time till 20th December, 1973 when he was elevated as judge of the LHC. He retired on 9th of June, 1978 and died on February 24, 2016. Justice Abdul Shakurul Salam was born on April 01, 1928. He practiced for 18 years during which he became member Punjab Bar Council from 1959-72.

He was elevated as Additional Judge of the LHC on October 02, 1974. He was appointed as CJ of the LHC on 31st August, 1988 and held this post till 16th December, 1989 and was elevated to the august SC on 23rd December, 1989, the CJ said. Justice Muhammad Hassan Sindher was born on February 24, 1922 in Bahawalpur. He was appointed as Addl District & Sessions Judge in 1965 and later on was promoted to District & Sessions Judge and was elevated as LHC judge on November 27, 1977 and retired on March 25, 1981.

The CJ said Justice Mian Nisar Ahmed, father of SC Judge Mian Saqib Nisar, was born on August, 1, 1930, in Lahore.

He was elevated as LHC judge on July 11, 1979 but stepped down from office on July 10, 1980 when he refused to take oath under an unconstitutional regime. He died on 8th September, 2011. Justice Gul Zarin Kiani was born in 1933 in Rawalpindi and became LHC judge on March 3, 1984 from where he retired in 1995.

He died on June 05, 2016. Justice Rashid Aziz Khan was born on 1st September, 1941 and was appointed as LHC judge in 1987 and retired in 2000. Justice Abdul Majid Tiwana was born on 1st January, 1933 and was elevated as LHC judge on 26th October, 1988, retired on December 31, 1994 and died on July 30, 2014. Justice Mian Ghulam Ahmad was born on 2nd February, 1933, was elevated as LHC judge on 29th August 1992, retired on 1st February 1995and died on September 24, 2013. Justice Sheikh Abdul Mannan was born on 6th November, 1933 at Pathankot district Gurdaspur, elevated as LHC judge in 1992 and died on November 15, 2016, the CJ said. Justice Muhammad Asif Jan, son of Justice A, M Jan, was born on October 10, 1939, elevated as Judge of the LHC in 1994, retired on October 09, 2001, and died in 2012. Justice Ameer Alam Khan was born in 1939, elevated as judge LHC 4th August 1994, and died on January 28, 2016. The CJ paid tribute to Justice Iftikhar Hussain Chaudhry, Justice Sheikh Abdul Razzaq, Justice Ch Ijaz Ahmed, Justice Muhammad Ghani, and Justice Arshad Mahmood Tabasum. The CJ also paid tribute to late advocates Hakam Qureshi, Khwaja Sultan Ahmad, Ijaz Hussain Batalvi, Muhammad Ilyas Khan, SM Masud, Khawaja Saeed uz Zafar, and Sardar Muhammad Ishaq Khan.

The CJ also paid tribute to the victims of Baluchistan Bar Earlier, Rana Zia Abdul Rehman, President Lahore High Court, Bar Association, Aftab Ahmad Bajwa, General Secretary Supreme Court Bar Association, Mumtaz Mustafa, Chairman Executive Committee Punjab Bar Council, Ch Muhammad Hussain, Vice Chairman Punjab Bar Council, Dr Farough Naseem, Vice Chairman Pakistan Bar Council, Khurram Khan, Deputy Prosecutor General Punjab, Imran Aziz Khan, Deputy Attorney General for Pakistan and Shakil ur Rehman Khan, Advocate General Punjab also read the reference and paid tribute to the late judges and the lawyers.