Peshawar High Court's top judge dies of coronavirus

Peshawar High Court (PHC) Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth died due to Covid-19 on Thursday after battling the contagion for 15 days.

He was first admitted to a hospital in Peshawar but later shifted to Kulsum International Hospital in Islamabad where he died due to coronavirus related complications.

Born to a respectable business family of Dera Ismail Khan on March 16, 1961 Justice Seth had been the Chief Justice of PHC since June 28, 2018.

Justice Seth, 59, was known for his bold judgements. He had set aside the conviction of dozens of citizens who were tried in the military courts. He was attacked a number of times but survived all assassination attempts.

The top judge presided the special court which heard the high treason case against former military ruler General (retd) Pervez Musharraf and one of the two judges on a three-judge panel who convicted Musharraf for this crime and sentenced him to death.

This was the first time in Pakistan's history that a military dictator was convicted for high treason

Pakistan's legal team had also presented Justice Seth's ruling as evidence before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Kulbhushan case.

He was an activist and a big fan of the former prime minister and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) founder Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. He was known for not charging a fee for labour cases.

Condolences pour in

Prime Minister Imran Khan, President Arif Alvi and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa expressed their grief for the passing of the top judge.

"Saddened to learn of the passing of Chief Justice Peshawar High Court Waqar Ahmed Seth. May his soul rest in peace - Ameen. My condolences & prayers go to his family," the premier wrote on his official Twitter handle.

President Alvi also condoled the sad demise of PHC chief justice. "May his soul rest in peace and may Allah give strength to his family to bear this loss," the president tweeted.

General Qamar prayed for the departed soul and to give strength to the bereaved family to bear the irreparable loss.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Gulzar Ahmed and other judges of Supreme Court expressed deep sorrow and grief over the sad demise of Justice Seth.

"They have extended their heartfelt condolences and sincere sympathies to members of the bereaved family," a statement from the Supreme Court said.

The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) has also announced a day of mourning for the sad demise.

PBC Vice Chairman Abid Saqi said that no lawyer will appear before the court except for urgent cases.