NEW YORK: Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and Pakistan’s first Oscar winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy have been named by the Time magazine among the 100 most influential people in the world. In its appreciation, the magazine said that Chief Justice Chaudhry and Sharmeen Obaid had made it to a list of people who “inspire us, entertain us, challenge us and change our world”.
A profile written for the magazine by Tehrik-i-Insaaf chief Imran Khan said: “(Justice) Chaudhry has become the first head of Pakistan’s Supreme Court to attempt to bring the powerful to justice.
He has taken on the prime minister and the president in an effort to hold them accountable.
“It’s not just the politicians either. Chaudhry, 63, is also seeking to take Pakistan’s intelligence agencies to task for their human rights abuses.”
Sharmeen Obaid was praised in the list by Hollywood actor and director Angelina Jolie.
She said: “Sharmeen belongs to a monumental campaign that is changing the legal, social and political fate of survivors of acid-related violence.
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s documentary Saving Face brought Pakistan’s acid-violence problem to the world stage. Today she is bringing the film’s message to towns and villages in Pakistan through an educational awareness campaign.”
The Time’s list of 100 most influential people includes Salman Khan of the Khan Academy, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Manal Al Sharif — a Saudi protester against the country’s ban on woman drivers.
