Appreciation where it’s due: Top judge encouraging poet should set precedent

LHC CJ has asked library to keep Punjabi poetry book of personal assistant.

LAHORE: Happiness of a writer knows no bounds when his work gets published. This joy multiplies manifold when his work is appreciated and recommended by none other than the boss of his institution. The words not only encourage the worker but also others to write and initiate dialogue in a society where no one is ready to even listen to the other points of view.

Last week, when Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah not only appreciated the recently published book of his staffer but also recommended it to his fellow judges.

In a letter written to his colleagues, the chief justice stated: “My personal assistant Muhammad Tahir happens to be a budding Punjabi poet. Recently, he has presented me a collection of his poetry namely ‘Raitan Wargay Cha’. Although I don’t have enough understanding of the language, I gather that the said collection is worth a read.”

He went on to write: “Talent at any level must be encouraged and nurtured. Therefore, I am dispatching a copy of his collection for your library with the hope that you might get a chance to read it. I wish the young man succeeds in his future poetic endeavours.”

This is not the first time an LHC worker has written a book. An elderly qasid named Ali Rehman, 60, wrote a book titled ‘Adalat-i-Alia Ke Qasid Ki Kahani’ in 2011. The book, whose foreword was written by Justice (retd) KMA Samdani, was launched at a ceremony at the Lahore High Court Bar Association of The book also contained a two-page note about the author by Justice Mansoor, who is now the LHC chief justice himself.

The then Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry had also congratulated Rehman on writing the book and sent him a letter of appreciation.  Surprisingly however, then LHC chief justice Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry issued a circular reminding the court staff they could not publish articles/books, mentioning court matters or judges without prior permission from his office. The circular issued on October 4, 2011 and amended on October 10, 2011 came in the wake of the publication of book by Rehman.

The circular stated that all court staffers needed the chief justice’s permission to publish their writings. On October 10, however, another notification was issued, limiting the requirement for permission to writings concerning court matters and judges.

The court staffers are required to follow these instructions up to three years after their retirement. A strict disciplinary action may be taken against those failing to comply with these orders. In 2015, an advocate wrote a book titled ‘Politics of Religion’ and sent a copy to the then chief justice of the LHC but he refused to accept it for reasons best known to him.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 17^th, 2017.