‘I respect lawyers and look forward to their cooperation’

New district and sessions’ judge says he respects lawyers and hopes that they help him in dispending justice.

LAHORE: Newly-appointed district and sessions’ judge, Sohail Nasir, on Wednesday said that he respected the lawyers and hoped that they would help him in dispending justice to the people. Talking to reporters after taking charge of his office, he said he would take necessary measures to enhance cooperation between the bench and the bar. Nasir said the national judicial policy would be implemented in letter and spirit.

He was welcomed at the civil courts by a guard of honour. Senior civil judge Arif Hameed and senior district and sessions judges Syed Pervez Ali and Mehr Muhammad Yousuf received him.

Chief Justice Khwaja Muhammad Sharif sent Zawar Ahmed, the controversial sessions’ judge, on a four-month leave and replaced him with Sohail Nasir who was serving as a sessions’ judge in Attock. Chaudhry Khaliquz Zaman, a Banking Court-IV (Lahore) judge, will fill the post vacated by Nasir.

Sohail Nasir profile:

46-year-old Nasir started his career as a lawyer in 1987. He practiced at the Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) and at the Federal Shariat Court (FSC) for 12 years. In 1999, Nasir appeared for the competition exams and secured second position. He was appointed as an Additional District and Sessions Judge in Rahim Yar Khan. He served as an AD&SJ in Gujrat, Attock, Gojra and Chakwal. He was promoted to the rank of District and Sessions Judge during his posting in Chakwal. As D&SJ, Nasir served in Mianwali, Gujranwala, Faisalabad and Attock.

He also served as special judge in the Anti-Corruption Courts in Gujranwala, registrar Islamabad High Court and resource person at the Punjab Judicial Academy, Lahore.

On December 4, 2009, Nasir presented before the LHC judges on the Implementation of National Judicial Policy.

He was awarded for his performance in 2000 by then chief justice of the LHC Justice (retired) Falak Sher. In 2008, he was declared by the LHC as a priced-asset of the judiciary.

During his 11-year career as a judge, Nasir attended several courses including Judicial Ethics and a conference of Senior Most District and Sessions Judges.

He also completed a course on Technical Programme for Judges organised by the National Judicial Institute of Canada.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 7^th, 2010.