August 01, 2008	Friday	Rajab 28, 1429

SHIKARPUR, July 31: A leader of lawyers movement for restoration of deposed judges, Imdad Ali Awan, was laid to rest in his ancestral graveyard here on Thursday morning.

Imdad Ali Awan passed away in Karachi due to cardiac arrest while driving the vehicle of the deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Choudhry on Tuesday.

Federal Minister Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah, provincial Minister Jam Mahtab Dahar, president Sindh High Court Bar Rasheed Rizvi, Ali Ahmed Kurd advocate and a number of lawyers, officials, friends, relatives and citizens attended the funeral prayers of the late advocate.

District and sessions judge Shikarpur Nadeem Ahmed Akhund laid a wreath on the grave of Mr Awan on behalf of the sitting Chief Justice of Pakistan Abdul Hameed Dogar.

Mr Awan had played an active role in the lawyers movement as well as the lawyers long march for restoration of deposed judges. He worked hard during the lawyers movement.

He was elected senator during Benazir Bhutto’s government, remained president of Sindh High Court Sukkur Bar for 11 times, held the office of President of the Sukkur District Bar Association for five times, Chairman Sindh Bar Council Committee for three times, member of Sindh Bar Council from 1974-2004 and vice-president of Supreme Court Bar.

He received primary, secondary education and did graduation from Shikarpur and LLB from S. M. Law College, Karachi.

Our Sukkur correspondent adds: Earlier Mr Awan’s Namaz-i-Janaza was offered in the lawn of Sindh High Court’s Sukkur bench and later his body was taken to Shikarpur in a motorcade of hundreds of vehicles

JUSTICE CHAUDHRY: The deposed chief justice of Supreme Court of Pakistan, Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, has offered condolence on the demise of Mr Awan and termed it an irreparable loss to the lawyers’ struggle.

Justice Chaudhry was talking to Mr Awan’s son Shaheryar Imdad Awan and other family members at his residence on Military Road here on Thursday evening. Supreme Court Bar Association president Chaudhry Aitizaz Ahsan, Hamid Khan and Athar Minallah flanked the deposed chief justice.

He paid tribute to Mr Awan for his active role in the lawyer’s struggle and said that he would be remembered for his heroic role in the movement for independence of judiciary.

Justice Chaudhry will address a condolence meeting at the Sindh High Court Bar here on Friday at 11am and leave for Islamabad in the evening.

Earlier, on his arrival at Sukkur airport, he was received by a large number of lawyers and people from different walks of life.