PESHAWAR: Recently retired Supreme Court judge Justice Musarrat Hilali on Wednesday said that she never decided cases against any personality but had always ‘followed merit’ during her judicial career.
Referring to a social media campaign launched against her following her retirement on Aug 7, retired Justice Hilali said that she didn’t care about the drive and had always taken pride in her rulings as the judge.
She was speaking as the chief guest at the Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony organised by the Peshawar High Court Bar Association (PHCBA) in her honour and to recognise senior lawyers completing 50 years of practice in the high court.
The event was attended by PHCBA president Aminur Rehman Yousafzai, general secretary Ashfaq Daudzai, cabinet members and senior lawyers.
PHCBA gives away Lifetime Achievement Awards to senior lawyers
Retired Justice Hilali, who also served as the chief justice of the Peshawar High Court, said lawyers were her strength as they always supported her, while the bar stood by her.
“I am deeply grateful to the bar. Lawyers should always support upright and principled colleagues in bar politics,” she said.
The former judge said she didn’t care about the negative social media campaign launched against her and took pride in her decisions as none of them was meant against anyone nor did he hold enmity.
“All decisions were made by me purely on merit,” she said.
A large number of senior lawyers attended the event. Noted among them were former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor Barrister Masood Kausar, former senator Qazi Mohammad Anwar, Ziaur Rehman Khan, Ghulam Mohiuddin Malik, Khalid Khan and Syed Muzaffar Shah.
“The legal profession is extremely important, and it is vital to practice it with honesty,” Barrister Kausar said, adding that the profession has produced outstanding experts.
He regretted that all key institutions, including parliament, the judiciary and the Election Commission of Pakistan, had become “dummy” entities.
“I am strongly opposed to politics and favouritism within the judiciary,” he said.
The former governor declared retired Justice Hilali a courageous woman.
PHCBA president Aminur Rehman said Justice Hilali performed her duties in the judiciary exceptionally well and played an exemplary role in lawyer politics.
He said Justice Hilali had played a leading role in the famous Lawyers’ Movement for the restoration and independence of the judiciary.
Lifetime Achievement Awards were later presented to senior lawyers by the chief guest.
The PHCBA also conferred the title of ‘Titan Woman’ on retried Justice Hilali, terming her achievements a pride for the association to which she served as the general secretary and vice president.
Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2026
