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.
Anwar says, ”
Award is for the action and not to the person of CJ”.
Thats absolutely wrong! The award is for Mr. Chaudhry and his actions in holding up to his principles. Lets not water down his contribution. As for all those that say western institutions like Harvard don’t count or represent colonialism are just immature crybabies who cannot spell the word award rather than try to earn one. Maybe thats why we never honor our only Nobel Prize winner.
Please read clauses 38 and 39 regarding the case of “missing people”, which are held without any lawful authority or substantial evidence against them, against which the exalted Lordship CJ rebelled and paid the price.
http://www.bl.uk/treasures/magnacarta/translation. html
I think Pakistan has reached a stage where absolute rule by any person is no more possible. Every nation in its political evolution has to reach that stage before Democracy can really take hold. Some historians regard the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215 as the cut off date beyond which the British Monarch was no more absolute. American constitution of 1776 is another landmark achievement of the American people, since then the American President didn’t enjoy absolute power. I think to some extent the cut off date in Pakistan could be taken as March 9, 2007 when General Musharraf in his ill mannered way try to remove CJ on flimsy grounds. Since then momentum has picked up in Pakistan for rule of law, which would end in the end of the rule of men or absolute power.
I so vividly remember the way we as a nation got fed up with both Nawaz and BB and their respective democratic terms. Where were these people when the first coup happened? Now we want the same politicians back? lol
It puzzles me how easily we all have forgotten all the good things Musharraf has done.
Talks of making this lackluster ex-CJ President are comical. Let’s forget about extremism, law and order, and economy rather just shout, Go Musharraf, Go! We love that Slagon, right?
So ironic, people who accused Musharaf of being pro-America care so much about an award from “Harvard”; wait till Harvard scholars will justify the attack on Pakistan, or as a matter of fact some one from Harvard might already did that. I some time wonder what kind of people we Pakistanis are; what we want, and what is our own ideology? Why for our own self advantages we start looking up or down to Westerns. I believe being a nation we have to mature a lot and at the end the blame for our down fall doesn’t go to Musharaf, Nawaz and Benazir but only to us, who behaves like “Sheeps in the huddle”