Former chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry has been cited as an outside candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize.
The recipient of this year’s prize will be announced in Oslo on Oct. 10 from among 197 nominees, with those fighting for human rights among those tipped to win in the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The International Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO), an independent research institute, ranks Chaudhry in fourth place, though PRIO director Stein Toennesson says the most likely winner this year will be a Chinese dissident.
“An even more interesting possibility is to award the prize to one of the senior judges, who in several countries have stood up against pressure from the executive, in defence of human rights and against unconstitutional practices,” it says.
“Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, the Chief Justice of Pakistan who was unseated by former President Musharraf in 2007, is the most likely candidate, but the French, Italian, British, and Zimbabwean Chief Justices or Supreme Court Presidents have also shown great courage in defending human rights and judicial independence. Awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to one or more of them would assist the construction of an international system for the enforcement of human rights.”
After championing the opposition to former president Pervez Musharraf last year and leading the lawyers’ movement in a campaign for an independent judiciary, Chaudhry’s star has been fading since the election of a new civilian government in February and departure of Musharraf in August. The lawyers’ movement, as this story in the Daily Times says, has now run out of steam.
Chaudhry may have only an outside chance, but winning the Nobel Peace Prize would certainly be a powerful way of getting his star back on the ascendant again. Views please?
And a word of warning. According to this story by Reuters Oslo correspondent John Acher, academics, pundits and bookmakers speculate annually on who will win the prize worth $1.4 million. Their guesses are often widely off the mark since the secretive five-member Norwegian Nobel Committee does not disclose the names of the nominees.
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[...] Pakistan’s Iftikhar Chaudhry cited as outside candidate for Nobel Peace Prize Filed under: Uncategorized — kashifzia @ 8:40 pm Pakistan’s Iftikhar Chaudhry cited as outside candidate for Nobel Peace Prize. Full story [...]
- Posted by Pakistan’s Iftikhar Chaudhry cited as outside candidate for Nobel Peace Prize « Long Live PakistanAre you kidding me? This is a guy who used the authority of his position to call before the court cases and controversies that were not yet properly before the court. He took notice of public trees being cut down, and a new papers columnists article and made them petitions before the court. While he may be well intentioned to stand up for the poor and less fortunate his style of “judicial independence” is not judicial at all. If in fact, Mr. CJ believed that he needed to use his power to make up for the poor administration of justice then he should have done precisely this. Not act with powers of a monarch. A Nobel Prize for such a person is unwarranted.
- Posted by Natty BumpoIftikhar Chaudhry truly deserves the Nobel Prize!
- Posted by Samad KhurramIn response to the last comment, a judge has the power to take suo-muo notices. This was under the official use of power and nothing personal.
Quoting you: ”Mr. CJ believed that he needed to use his power to make up for the poor administration of justice then he should have done precisely this”.
This is what he was doing and was removed in due course.
I am in full support of a nobel prize to this person. However, I am sure this would never happen. The authorities in Pakistan would never approve it. We know who they listen to and whose policies they follow - not people of Pakistan anyway. If people could have voted for him, there is no way he is not awarded with this prestigious award.
- Posted by Zawar SaleemiI hope and pray that CJ Iftikhar Chaudhry gets the Noble Prize. He stood for the common man….stood upto the corrupt leaders, did not bow down inspite of the massive pressure to tow the government line….thanks to his suo moto actions that institutions like PSO and Steel Mills got saved…had he been there he would have reversed the sale of HBL as well which I believe went for peanuts. He along with people like Imran Khan and Aitzaz Ahsan are the rays of hope if there are any for the salvation of our country.
- Posted by MohsinMost of all…he stood up for all the missing people picked up by agencies. And that was the reason he was was removed.
- Posted by fahadRespected Iftikhar chaudhry is a politician if he would have been a man of principal he would never have justified the first time Gen. musharraf took over (he saved his job then). When he saw that the ground is favourable everyone is talking against the general, he played his cards. I would never put my cents on someone whose “conscience” has woken up near the end of his career when pakistan is in the lime light of world media and so is he. Throughout his life he remained a part of this corrupt system.
- Posted by WahabHe should be given the nobel prize………..he deserves it!!
- Posted by usman shabbirCJ Iftikhar Chaudhry has brought about a revolution in Pakistan. No one deserves the Nobel Prize more than Justice Chaudhry
- Posted by JojoTo me its a joke..really a hred one. Though i am sure its just an other cheap attempt by Mr.Eitazaz ahsan to persue his political ambitions by courtsey of dragging populist(not judicial minded) judge into political realm like the one in which he managed to get himself considered as the top intellectual of the world thruogh a well planned campaign on blogspher.It is unbelievable that such a person(iftkhar ch) who can hardly decide himself that whether he is a judge or a politician and who never bothered about taking care of any rules and regulations in the course of his own selection,elevation and judgments what to mention of manipulation of his authority to get his son posted as superintendent of police(most coveted post in administation) without any competence and competitive examination.Sorry to Eitazaz ahsan,who is a much better person than he is showing off now a days.
- Posted by Sohail RanaWhat has Iftikhar Chaudhry done?
Iftikhar Chaudhry has already won an award for upholding the rule of law through the courtesy of the Harvard Law School. Nobody has cited a single judgment of this gentleman which can became the basis of his extraordinary service to the rule of law. Not even Aitzaz nor Kurd have said anything in this regard. Why should an independent Chief Justice of a country go to a dictator? I mean why Iftikhar Chaudhry went to see Musharraf on 3rd of March? Was it to uphold the rule of law? Incase he is being rewarded for deciding the steel mill case against the then government, was he the only judge on the bench. Obviously not- In Supreme Court no judgment is rendered in such a high profile case unless a bench of minimum of three judges is constituted. Why Iftikhar Chaudhry to the exclusion of other judges is being tipped for such laurels in preference to other fellow judges. Kindly educate me about Iftikhar Chaudhry’s great services to rule of law by citing one convincing example in his support and I will wholeheartedly pray for his winning the Nobel prize.
- Posted by Aurangzeb AkbarHe deserves it with an iota of doubt.
- Posted by Naeem AhmedHe has already been given Nobel Prize by people of Pakistan.
PRIO ’s nobel prize should better be give to Musharraf, all time popular in West.
- Posted by Maan