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Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim was, on Monday, appointed as the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) following a parliamentary consensus. The CEC was earlier appointed by the president, but under Article 213 of the Constitution, the prime minister in consultation with the opposition leader in the National Assembly is required to forward three names to the parliamentary committee for confirmation of one of them.
Justice (retired) Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim is an eminent Pakistani jurist, constitutional expert, senior advocate Supreme Court, former Federal Law Minister, former Attorney General of Pakistan, former judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and former Governor of Sindh. He was born on February 12, 1928 in Ahmedabad in the state of Gujarat. Ebrahim attended the Gujrat Vidyapith and received an undergraduate degree in law in 1949. He also studied courses based on philosophy and attended lectures given by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. It is believed that his advocacy for non-violence and peace comes from Gandhi’s teachings.
In the year 1950, Ebrahim migrated to Pakistan and attended Sindh Muslim College. He received LLM degree and an honorary Juris Doctor in 1960 and later established his own law firm by the name of Fakhruddin G Ebrahim & Company.
Ebrahim also served as the Attorney General of Pakistan during Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s regime and later as the Governor of Sindh. In the March of 1981, he was amongst the very few judges who refused to take oath under Provincial Constitutional Order (PCO) drafted by General Zia-ul-Haq, along with Justice S. Anwarul Haq, Justice Maulvi Mushtaq Hussain and Justice Dorab Patel. The PCO not only negated the independence of the judiciary but also prolonged martial law by nullifying the effect of a judgment giving General Zia regime’s limited recognition.
The establishment of the Citizen Police Liaison Committee in 1989 remains one of Ebrahim’s prolific achievements.
In 1996, Ebrahim served as law minister in the caretaker cabinet of President Farooq Leghari, following the dismissal of the government of Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
It is believed that Ebrahim always possessed positive sentiments for Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and has announced various verdicts in the favour of Pakistani sportsman including Saleem Malik, Shoaib Akhtar and Muhammad Asif.
