Tales of bravery: Justice Baqar lost faithful guard in attack
Deceased guard used to pray for judge’s life everyday inside the chamber.
The bomb blast that took place on Justice Maqbool Baqar’s convoy on Wednesday was so powerful that it damaged nearby houses and a mosque on Burns Road. PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN/EXPRESS
KARACHI:
Justice Maqbool Baqar’s guard, Khalid Mehmood, prepared himself for the worst every day when he stepped outside the house.
As he escorted the judge every morning from his house to the Sindh High Court and back, Khalid was always vigilant and alert. When the two arrived at the courts, he would help the judge put on his black gown inside the chamber. Justice Baqar would head to the courtroom but Khalid would always stay back for sometime, reciting prayers and verses from the Holy Quran. He wanted to do all in his capacity to protect one of most threatened judges of the province.
Khalid’s prayers worked as Justice Baqar miraculously survived Wednesday’s attack on his convoy on Burnes Road. Unfortunately, he was not so lucky himself.
The 53-year-old guard had been with Justice Baqar since his days as a practicing lawyer. When he climbed the ladder to become one of the high court judges, Khalid continued to stay by his side.
“Khalid would never part himself from the judge because Justice Baqar was facing threats,” his elder brother Zahid Mehmood told The Express Tribune. “Even when Justice Maqbool Baqar remained deposed for almost a year, my brother continued to serve him.” Zahid is proud his brother was such a faithful man.
“On June 19, Khalid’s wife and four children left for their hometown in Chakwal for summer vacations but Khalid insisted on staying back to perform his duty,” his brother calls.
Usually clad in white cotton shalwar kameez, the cheerful Khalid would sit in the front seat of the car next to Muhammad Saleem, Justice Baqar’s driver who was serving him for nearly a decade and died in Wednesday’s attack.
Saleem, a Katchi who hailed from Lyari, was the second brave employee serving the bold judge, his colleagues remarked. “Although they knew that they could expose themselves to danger anytime, they never opted to perform their duty with any other judge,” a colleague added.
Reward
Meanwhile, Sindh High Court Chief Justice Mushir Alam has announced that Saleem’s widow will continue to receive his full salary until the period of superannuation and later on he would be receiving pension.
Khalid’s brother, Zahid, said the government had announced compensation but it should be paid at the earliest to help Khalid’s four children.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 27th, 2013.
Justice Maqbool Baqar’s guard, Khalid Mehmood, prepared himself for the worst every day when he stepped outside the house.
As he escorted the judge every morning from his house to the Sindh High Court and back, Khalid was always vigilant and alert. When the two arrived at the courts, he would help the judge put on his black gown inside the chamber. Justice Baqar would head to the courtroom but Khalid would always stay back for sometime, reciting prayers and verses from the Holy Quran. He wanted to do all in his capacity to protect one of most threatened judges of the province.
Khalid’s prayers worked as Justice Baqar miraculously survived Wednesday’s attack on his convoy on Burnes Road. Unfortunately, he was not so lucky himself.
The 53-year-old guard had been with Justice Baqar since his days as a practicing lawyer. When he climbed the ladder to become one of the high court judges, Khalid continued to stay by his side.
“Khalid would never part himself from the judge because Justice Baqar was facing threats,” his elder brother Zahid Mehmood told The Express Tribune. “Even when Justice Maqbool Baqar remained deposed for almost a year, my brother continued to serve him.” Zahid is proud his brother was such a faithful man.
“On June 19, Khalid’s wife and four children left for their hometown in Chakwal for summer vacations but Khalid insisted on staying back to perform his duty,” his brother calls.
Usually clad in white cotton shalwar kameez, the cheerful Khalid would sit in the front seat of the car next to Muhammad Saleem, Justice Baqar’s driver who was serving him for nearly a decade and died in Wednesday’s attack.
Saleem, a Katchi who hailed from Lyari, was the second brave employee serving the bold judge, his colleagues remarked. “Although they knew that they could expose themselves to danger anytime, they never opted to perform their duty with any other judge,” a colleague added.
Reward
Meanwhile, Sindh High Court Chief Justice Mushir Alam has announced that Saleem’s widow will continue to receive his full salary until the period of superannuation and later on he would be receiving pension.
Khalid’s brother, Zahid, said the government had announced compensation but it should be paid at the earliest to help Khalid’s four children.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 27th, 2013.