Rex Bossert, Editor-in-Chief, the National Law Journal (NLJ), USA has declared the deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry as the 'Lawyer of the Year'. Bossert's published his article in the forthcoming December 17 issue of the NLJ.
Bossert wrote that Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry should become a household work in the legal profession of his country because of his strong voice in the preservation of the rule of law in Pakistan.
Even though currently he is not allowed to move outside his house, and his courageous daughter is equally detained inside, the article in the NLJ says that 'Chaudhry has spoken out against emergency rule and has inspired thousands of his lawyer-brethren to protest in the streets in their traditional black suits and ties, said Bossert in the article.
The deposed CJ has become an international symbol of an independent judiciary and of resistance to the excesses of military rule. Hundreds of attorneys have also turned out to protest on his behalf in cities across the country.
'As this year's National Law Journal Lawyer of the Year, Chaudhry is a bit of a departure, since normally our sights are set on the American legal community. The unusual choice of Chaudhry was prompted by the rare instance of a judge taking such a bold and influential stand against a government in defence of judicial independence and the rule of law.
And his example has prompted much commentary and concern among lawyers in this country, who by virtue of their profession have a vested interest in promoting the rule of law.
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