Judge Rafaqat Awan: A man of principle

Awan was upright, courageous judge who was struggling to become permanent as his probation period was to end in Sep.

ISLAMABAD:

Known as an honest judge who believed that a judge’s competence and honesty must be evaluated in light of his judgments. Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Malik Rafaqat Ahmed Awan, was killed in the twin suicide attacks in the district courts on Monday morning.

Awan was an upright and courageous judge, who was struggling to become permanent as his probation period was to end in September. The judge was hearing cases when the incident took place. He left the courtroom but gunmen entered his chamber and killed him.

Appointed as ADSJ in September 2012, Awan served as a judge for a year and a half. He belonged to a middle-class family from Kharian.

High-profile cases       

According to court officials, Awan heard two high-profile cases in his career. Last October, the judge had rejected an application filed by Haroon Rashid, son of Lal Mosque deputy cleric Ghazi Abdur Rashid, for registering an FIR against former military ruler Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf for initiating an operation in 2007.  In the second case, the judge had acquitted a suspect involved in blasphemy case. Some of the lawyers requesting anonymity said that he might have been killed in connection with the two cases, but the police have so far denied the possibility.

He leaves behind a wife and two children.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 4^th, 2014.

Correction: An earlier version of the story mistakenly stated "Justice" in the headline instead of "Judge."