Justice (Retd) Fakhruddin Ebrahim: An irreparable loss

Karachi, 7 January. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) mourned the passing of Justice (Retd) Fakhruddin G Ebrahim.

He was one of HRCP’s founder members and served on the Commission’s first Council.

An eminent jurist and human rights defender, he espoused the spirit of the Commirahimssion – to protect the rights of the most disadvantaged. It was he who initiated public interest litigation to help protect the rights of the poor.

As a committed democrat, he refused to take oath under General Zia-ul-Haq’s Provisional Constitutional Order in 1981, along with the late Justice Dorab Patel, HRCP’s founder chairperson. Justice (Retd) Ebrahim was also a public intellectual and had the foresight to set up the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) while serving as Governor of Sindh; the CPLC continues to function to this day.

A man of unimpeachable integrity, he served as Chief Election Commissioner during the 2013 national elections. His contribution to the human rights movement over many decades will not be forgotten.