LAHORE: Yousaf Saleem, the visually impaired lawyer, became Pakistan’sfirst blind judge as he took oath on Tuesday.
Saleem, who hails from Lahore, was first denied the position despite beinga topper but was reconsidered and recommended for the position of civiljudge after intervention by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian SaqibNisar last month.
The visually impaired lawyer was among 21 civil judges who took oath forthe post today.
Addressing the oath-taking ceremony, Lahore High Court chief justiceJustice Muhammad Yawar Ali said, “Civil judges should fulfill their dutiesresponsibly.”
“Justice should be provided within the legal framework and without the fearof anyone,” Justice Yawar further said.
CJP’s recommendation
Saleem worked as an assistant director (legal) in a department of thePunjab Government and was among 21 of 300 candidates who passed the writtentest for the civil judge position.
However, his disability got in the way and he could only make it to theinterview stage before being denied the position.
The chief justice of Pakistan had directed the chief justice of the LahoreHigh Court (LHC) to review the case saying, that a person could be a judgeeven if he is blind, provided he meets all other qualifications.
“It appears in this case, his fundamental rights under Articles 9, 14 and25 of the Constitution, the provisions of the UN Conventions on the Rightsof Persons with Disabilities, ratified by Pakistan, three percent quotaunder the Disabled Persons (Employment and Rehabilitation) Ordinance 1981,and the jurisprudence developed by the Lahore High Court in PLD 2017 Lahore406 and PLD 2017 Lahore 1 were not considered by the Lahore High Court,”the SC press release read.
On May 12, Saleem received a letter from the LHC stating, “You are herebyinformed that the Hon’ble Examination Committee for Recruitment of DistrictJudiciary and Lahore High Court Establishment has recommended you forappointment as Civil Judge-cum-Magistrate.”
Saleem who is the son of a charted accountant is blind by birth, has foursisters and two of them are also blind.
One of his sisters, Saima Saleem, is the first blind person to pass hercivil service exam in 2007 and currently works in the Prime MinisterSecretariat as a deputy secretary while his other sister is a lecturer in auniversity in Lahore.