Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary to receive Harvard Law School Medal of Freedom

Darwaish

While Pakistanis are protesting against the Martial Law (or so called Emergency) and attack on judiciary, the Harvard Law School has announced Medal of Freedom for Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary. I first heard the news on Geo and couldn’t believe if it were really true but later HLS website has also confirmed this news. Medal of Freedom is the highest honor of Harvard Law School and is awarded to individuals who have worked to uphold the legal system’s fundamental commitment to freedom, justice, and equality.

According to Harvard Law School’s Dean Elena Kagan, this award has been conferred to assure the solidarity of Harvard Law School with Justice iftikhar Chaudhary and Pakistan’s valiant lawyers in their heroic struggle. The previous recipients of this prestigious award include people like former South African President Nelson Mandela. I also found it pleasantly surprising that HLS have have NOT used word former Chief Justice for Justice Iftikhar even though our own Pakistani media is calling him former Chief Justice of Pakistan.

According to Harvard Law School website:

Following last week’s military crackdown in Pakistan and the detention of hundreds of lawyers, the Harvard Law School Association has decided to award Pakistani Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry its highest honor: The Harvard Law School Medal of Freedom. Chaudhry was detained after he convened the Pakistani Supreme Court to declare the current state of emergency imposed by General Pervez Musharraf to be null and void.

Although Chaudhry has been placed under house arrest and is not free to leave Pakistan, Dean Elena Kagan has reached out to the chief justice regarding the award and hopes that he’ll be able to come to the Law School to receive it when the state of emergency is lifted.

“As lawyers who value freedom and the rule of law, we at Harvard Law School want Chief Justice Chaudhry and all of the courageous lawyers in Pakistan to know that we stand with them in solidarity,” said Kagan. “We are proud to be their colleagues in the cause of justice, and we will do all we can to press for the prompt restoration of constitutionalism and legality in Pakistan.”

Hundreds of lawyers and other critics of Musharraf have been detained since the emergency rule was established more than a week ago. HLS graduates and practicing lawyers in Pakistan Babar Sattar LL.M. ’02 and Tariq Hassan LL.M. ’76 S.J.D. ’80 have spoken out in protest of the suspension of the constitution.

To raise awareness and further promote discussion about the events in Pakistan, the Harvard South Asia Initiative will be hosting campus-wide events on Friday, November 16.

The Medal of Freedom was established by Harvard Law School to honor the achievements of individuals who have worked to uphold the legal system’s fundamental commitment to freedom, justice, and equality. To symbolize this commitment, the award bears the image of Charles Hamilton Houston, whose leadership of the crusade that culminated in the landmark Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education exemplifies the highest ideals of our democracy.

Past recipients of the Medal of Freedom include the members of the Brown v. Board of Education litigation team and former South African President Nelson Mandela.

Isn’t it amazing that just one word NO, which Chief Justice said to Gen Musharraf on March 09 when he tried to remove him, has changed the course of history. Since then, Justice Iftikhar has probably become one of the most popular man in Pakistan and Gen. Musharraf the most unpopular man. I wonder if Gen. Musharraf would release him from detention and allow him to collect this prestigious award. Pakistani are not honored by world’s top institutes like HLS everyday.