Timeless arguments: Barrister Bacha laid to rest

Bacha was famous for the fiery speeches he delivered as a student at Islamia College Peshawar.

PESHAWAR:

Famous for his furious speeches in English, Peshawar High Court Bar Association (PHCBA) member Barrister Bacha breathed his last at the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) on Saturday.

Barrister Bacha, 74, was admitted to the LRH when he sustained a head injury after a fall on the walking track at Shalman Park on Friday. He remained in a comma for approximately 12 hours and died Saturday morning. He was laid to rest at his ancestral graveyard in Dag Ismail Khel, Nowshera.

Born in 1939, Pukhtun nationalist Bacha became famous for the speeches he delivered during his time at Islamia College Peshawar, where he soon became a student leader. After graduating in the 70s, Bacha was called to the bar in England by The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple.

During his practice, Bacha was, more often than not, found pursuing public interest cases. In his most recent venture, he had filed a case against the Peshawar Development Authority challenging the putting up a fighter jet structure at the Ajmal Khan Baba Square in Hayatabad.

Bacha argued placing a war plane on a square named after a poet would send across the wrong message. He demanded the structure be removed. The barrister had also petitioned against the construction of a bridge near the Peshawar High Court (PHC), claiming it would pose a serious threat for the high court building.



In February, Bacha challenged the creation of new provinces in the country, arguing it was a plot to disintegrate the country. He had requested the court to direct respondents to stop cutting the country into different parts. The petition was later withdrawn when the issue settled down.

On April 10, the PHC refused to accept Barrister Bacha’s application in which he requested the court to issue arrest orders against former president General (Retd) Pervez Musharraf for suspending the Constitution during his tenure.

During his last chat with The Express Tribune, Bacha lauded the creation of a division bench comprised of two female judges exclusively.

“Never in the history of the country’s judiciary has there been such an occasion. None of the other high courts of the country have a bench comprised of two female judges exclusively,” Barrister Bacha had said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 19^th, 2013.