"\u003chtml xmlns:o=\"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office\"\r\nxmlns:w=\"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word\"\r\nxmlns=\"http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40\"\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003chead\u003e\r\n\u003cmeta http-equiv=Content-Type content=\"text/html; charset=windows-1252\"\u003e\r\n\u003cmeta name=ProgId content=Word.Document\u003e\r\n\u003cmeta name=Generator content=\"Microsoft Word 11\"\u003e\r\n\u003cmeta name=Originator content=\"Microsoft Word 11\"\u003e\r\n\u003clink rel=File-List href=\"2024J5_files/filelist.xml\"\u003e\r\n\u003ctitle\u003eA LIFE FULLY BLESSED*\u003c/title\u003e\r\n\u003c!--[if gte mso 9]\u003e\u003cxml\u003e\r\n \u003co:DocumentProperties\u003e\r\n  \u003co:Author\u003eUser\u003c/o:Author\u003e\r\n  \u003co:Template\u003eNormal\u003c/o:Template\u003e\r\n  \u003co:LastAuthor\u003eUser\u003c/o:LastAuthor\u003e\r\n  \u003co:Revision\u003e2\u003c/o:Revision\u003e\r\n  \u003co:TotalTime\u003e0\u003c/o:TotalTime\u003e\r\n  \u003co:Created\u003e2025-02-17T15:27:00Z\u003c/o:Created\u003e\r\n  \u003co:LastSaved\u003e2025-02-17T15:27:00Z\u003c/o:LastSaved\u003e\r\n  \u003co:Pages\u003e1\u003c/o:Pages\u003e\r\n  \u003co:Words\u003e4645\u003c/o:Words\u003e\r\n  \u003co:Characters\u003e26477\u003c/o:Characters\u003e\r\n  \u003co:Company\u003eHOME\u003c/o:Company\u003e\r\n  \u003co:Lines\u003e220\u003c/o:Lines\u003e\r\n  \u003co:Paragraphs\u003e62\u003c/o:Paragraphs\u003e\r\n  \u003co:CharactersWithSpaces\u003e31060\u003c/o:CharactersWithSpaces\u003e\r\n  \u003co:Version\u003e11.5606\u003c/o:Version\u003e\r\n \u003c/o:DocumentProperties\u003e\r\n\u003c/xml\u003e\u003c![endif]--\u003e\u003c!--[if gte mso 9]\u003e\u003cxml\u003e\r\n \u003cw:WordDocument\u003e\r\n  \u003cw:DoNotHyphenateCaps/\u003e\r\n  \u003cw:PunctuationKerning/\u003e\r\n  \u003cw:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing\u003e6 pt\u003c/w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing\u003e\r\n  \u003cw:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing\u003e6 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Section1\r\n\t{size:8.5in 11.0in;\r\n\tmargin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;\r\n\tmso-header-margin:.5in;\r\n\tmso-footer-margin:.5in;\r\n\tmso-paper-source:0;}\r\ndiv.Section1\r\n\t{page:Section1;}\r\n--\u003e\r\n\u003c/style\u003e\r\n\u003c!--[if gte mso 10]\u003e\r\n\u003cstyle\u003e\r\n /* Style Definitions */\r\n table.MsoNormalTable\r\n\t{mso-style-name:\"Table Normal\";\r\n\tmso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;\r\n\tmso-tstyle-colband-size:0;\r\n\tmso-style-noshow:yes;\r\n\tmso-style-parent:\"\";\r\n\tmso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;\r\n\tmso-para-margin:0in;\r\n\tmso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;\r\n\tmso-pagination:widow-orphan;\r\n\tfont-size:10.0pt;\r\n\tfont-family:\"Times New Roman\";\r\n\tmso-ansi-language:#0400;\r\n\tmso-fareast-language:#0400;\r\n\tmso-bidi-language:#0400;}\r\n\u003c/style\u003e\r\n\u003c![endif]--\u003e\r\n\u003c/head\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cbody lang=EN-US style=\u0027tab-interval:.5in;text-justify-trim:punctuation\u0027\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cdiv class=Section1\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal align=center style=\u0027margin-bottom:9.0pt;text-align:center;\r\nmso-pagination:none;page-break-after:avoid;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eA LIFE FULLY BLESSED\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/b\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003e*\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/sup\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal align=center style=\u0027margin-bottom:9.0pt;text-align:center;\r\nmso-pagination:none;page-break-after:avoid;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eDr. Parvez Hassan\u003cb\u003e\u003csup\u003e**\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/b\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal align=center style=\u0027margin-bottom:9.0pt;text-align:center;\r\nmso-pagination:none;page-break-after:avoid;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eSenior Advocate, Supreme\r\nCourt of Pakistan\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal align=center style=\u0027margin-bottom:.1in;text-align:center;\r\nmso-pagination:none;page-break-after:avoid;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eChair Emeritus, World\r\nCommission on \u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal align=center style=\u0027margin-bottom:.1in;text-align:center;\r\nmso-pagination:none;page-break-after:avoid;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eEnvironmental Law (IUCN)\r\nPresident, \u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal align=center style=\u0027margin-bottom:.1in;text-align:center;\r\nmso-pagination:none;page-break-after:avoid;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003ePakistan Environmental\r\nLaw Association (PELA)\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:.1in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eReceiving, in 2021, the\r\nGovernment College University Lifetime Achievement Award and, tonight, the SDPI\r\nLiving Legend Award 2023, is most humbling. These are blessings that would\r\nshine any lifetime. I am overwhelmed with gratitude. Thank you SDPI, its Board\r\nof Directors, and\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-spacerun:yes\u0027\u003e  \u003c/span\u003eits\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027mso-spacerun:yes\u0027\u003e  \u003c/span\u003eleadership,\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-spacerun:yes\u0027\u003e \r\n\u003c/span\u003eShafqat\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-spacerun:yes\u0027\u003e  \u003c/span\u003eKakakhel\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027mso-spacerun:yes\u0027\u003e  \u003c/span\u003eand\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-spacerun:yes\u0027\u003e \r\n\u003c/span\u003eAbid\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-spacerun:yes\u0027\u003e  \u003c/span\u003eSuleri,\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027mso-spacerun:yes\u0027\u003e  \u003c/span\u003efor\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-spacerun:yes\u0027\u003e \r\n\u003c/span\u003ethis honour. And, I am grateful to all who have joined to \u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:.1in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003ehonour me and my family\r\nthis happy evening and, particularly, the speakers who spoke so engagingly\r\nabout my efforts in life. A big thank you to all of you, Omar Hassan, Justice\r\nMansoor Ali Shah, Professor Nicholas A. Robinson, Syed Babar Ali, Razak Dawood,\r\nNasreen Kasuri, Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Javed Jabbar, Shahid Kardar, Shahid\r\nMalik, Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, Ali Kuli Khan Khattak, Farid Ahsanuddin, Adil\r\nNajam, Moeed Yusuf, Ishrat Hussain, and Tariq Banuri.\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:.1in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eAchievement and Legend\r\nAwards usually require the telling of life stories. Here is mine, compressing\r\neight decades of opportunities grasped in about 20 minutes, that I gratefully\r\nshare at this elegant and well-attended event organized by SDPI.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:9.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eRooted by birth in\r\nBahawalnagar, over 82 years ago in 1941, when my father served Bahawalpur State\r\nbefore we moved to Lahore on the establishment of One Unit in 1958, my education\r\nspanned St. Mary\u0027s Convent, Multan, St. Anthony\u0027s High School, Lahore, Sadiq\r\nPublic School, Bahawalpur, Government College, Lahore, Punjab University Law\r\nCollege, Lahore, Yale Law School and Harvard Law School before, on return to\r\nPakistan, I started my own law practice and law firm in Lahore in 1969. I had\r\nalso by then represented Pakistan, at the age of 9, at the 7th World Boy Scout\r\nJamboree in Austria in 1951, and at about 13, at the 8th World Boy Scout\r\nJamboree at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, in Canada in 1955. My Masters of Law\r\nat Yale and Doctorate of Law at Harvard had also enabled career-forming\r\nassociations with three of the leading U.S. law firms in Washington D.C. and\r\nWall Street, New York.\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:9.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eThe landscape for law\r\npractice in Lahore at that time in the early 1970s, particularly, was led by a\r\nfew legal giants, Sardar Muhammad Iqbal\u003csup\u003e3\u003c/sup\u003e and S. M. Zafar,\u003csup\u003e4\u003c/sup\u003e\r\nbeing foremost amongst them. But lawyering was singly powered by individuals\r\nand fed general practice combining, generally, all fields, criminal, civil,\r\nconstitutional, tax and revenue, and crowdingly clustered around the courts.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:9.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eWhen I set up my law\r\noffices in WAPDA House, Lahore, and held out a specialization for\r\ncompany/corporate law and transactional work, outside the traditional turf of\r\nlitigation, I was ridiculed as erring outside the mainstream who, well-wishers\r\nwished, would return as a prodigal colleague. I professionalised law practice\r\nthrough a law firm that, pioneeringly, paid regular salaries to associates (I\r\nintroduced this description of younger colleagues who were then called\r\n\u0026quot;juniors\u0026quot;), structured regular counselling through appointments and\r\nmeetings at my office and with meticulous regard to punctuality, and meeting\r\nthe agreed time lines of professional commitments. A dedicated commitment to\r\nprofessional ethics, conflict of interest, integrity, transparency, and\r\nsubordinating financial opportunities to sometimes, unpopular legal opinions,\r\nall pointed to a new trend of lawyering in Pakistan. \u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:.1in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eI could mention many\r\nother firsts that I introduced but I happily acknowledge that this new approach\r\nwas received well and I soon, actually very early, noticed a national\r\nrecognition and acceptance by the corporate sector and the superior courts of\r\nPakistan. Recognition and articles about my success in the print as well as in\r\nthe electronic media facilitated more and greater opportunities. I acknowledge,\r\namong others, an eight-column almost whole page article on \u0026quot;Where Eagles\r\nDare\u0026quot; on my pioneering law practice in \u003cu\u003eThe News\u003csup\u003e5\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/u\u003e by one\r\nof the speakers this evening, and a 1-hour interview by Naeem Bokhari on his\r\npopular TV Program \u003cu\u003eBilatakaluf\u003csup\u003e6\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/u\u003e as particularly encouraging.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:.1in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eEven while I was busy\r\ndeveloping my law practice, the only bread line that I have had in life, I\r\ndecided something that I think gave an additional focus and insight in my life.\r\nAnd, that decision, redirected me to the award and blessings that I gratefully\r\nreceive today. The decision on Day 1 of my professional life when meeting my\r\npersonal and family living expenses was a challenge, was this: I would open my\r\ndoor to any person from anywhere in Pakistan, known and unknown, and provide\r\nfree extended legal support for all their legal work if it was a charitable\r\nproject and the sponsors would not take a paisa home out of the project. This \u003cu\u003epro\r\nbono\u003c/u\u003e work extended to environmental causes, charities, hospitals, schools\r\nfor differently-abled persons and educational institutions. It became the basis\r\nof my foundational and governance support to LUMS, Shaukat Khanum Hospital, The\r\nCitizens Foundation, Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Child\r\nCare Foundation, Beacon house National University, Namal University, LEAD\r\nPakistan, Pakistan Forum for Environmental Journalists, South Asia\r\nFoundation-Pakistan, and for my serving on the governing bodies of many\r\ncolleges and Universities and non-profit organizations including Government\r\nCollege University, Aitchison College, National College of Arts, Lahore\r\nConservation Society, Family Planning Association of Pakistan, Lahore Literary\r\nFestival,WWF-Pakistan, and the National Society for Mentally and Emotionally\r\nHandicapped Children.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:.1in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eMy \u003cu\u003epro bono\u003c/u\u003e\r\nassociation with the environment has been the love of my life. It started with\r\nthe opportunity provided by United Nations Economic and Social Commission for\r\nAsia and Pacific (\u0026quot;ESCAP\u0026quot;) to undertake the pioneering Status of\r\nEnvironmental Protection Legislation in the ESCAP Region (1978). This study\r\nfollowed visits including to Australia, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Nepal,\r\nPapua New Guinea, Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand. The next major\r\nopportunity to provide global leadership to the efforts in the development of\r\nenvironmental law came as Chairman, World Commission on Environmental Law,\r\nIUCN, from 1990-1996, and as a Board member of, LEAD International, and Chairman,\r\nLEAD Pakistan. Joining the Board of the Jordan-based Foundation for the Future\r\non the recommendation of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra O\u0027Connor, a Board\r\nmember, and my work and travel in the BMENA (Broader Middle East and North\r\nAfrica) Region was a special opportunity for supporting civil society\r\norganizations in Pakistan and that Region. At home, I have been privileged to\r\nhead the Pakistan Environmental Law Association.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:.1in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eThe association with the\r\nenvironment, starting in 1977, led to my attendance of all the major\r\nenvironmental summits and initiatives, including the United Nations Conference\r\non Environment and Development, Rio, 1992 (the \u0026quot;Earth Summit\u0026quot;),\r\nRio+10 (2002), Rio+20 (2012), and the World Summit on Sustainable Development,\r\nJohannesburg (2002). I was also privileged to launch, with Maurice Strong,\r\nMikhail Gorbachev and Steven Rockefeller, the Earth Charter at the Peace Palace\r\nat The Hague in 2000 and be a part of the Earth Charter+10 celebratory events\r\nat The Hague in 2010.\u003csup\u003e7\u003c/sup\u003e The flagship of my career will always be the\r\nIUCN Draft Covenant on Environment and Development, a proposed global treaty on\r\nsustainable development, that I led in developing and drafting over 5-6 years\r\nwith environmentalists and leaders from the East and the West, the North and\r\nthe South and which I presented for a launch at the United Nations Congress on\r\nPublic International Law in the U.N. General Assembly in 1995.\u003csup\u003e8\u003c/sup\u003e The\r\nproposal of President Emmanuel Macron of France for the Global Pact of the\r\nEnvironment, under consideration by the U.N. today, acknowledges the IUCN Draft\r\nCovenant as an important development. It was a privilege to be invited to\r\nParis, France, for the first Group of Experts meeting of the Global Pact for\r\nthe Environment in 2017.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:.1in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eAn equally valuable\r\nopportunity, in the field of regional capacity building in international\r\nenvironmental law, was my initiation and development, in the 1990s, of the Asia\r\nPacific Centre of Environmental Law (\u0026quot;APCEL\u0026quot;) in Singapore which I\r\ncontinue to co-chair with my distinguished friend, Ambassador Tommy Koh. APCEL\r\nprovided a core syllabus and reading materials for the introduction of\r\nenvironmental law in the region.\u003csup\u003e9\u003c/sup\u003e The APCEL alumni have already\r\ncontributed to environmental rule of law and justice on their return to their\r\ncountries. The noteworthy examples are of Mr. Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah,\r\nSupreme Court of Pakistan, and Mr. Justice Jawad Hassan, Lahore High Court. It\r\nwas humbling to be tributed as an honoree at the APCEL+20 Anniversary\r\nCelebrations at the National University of Singapore, in Singapore, in 2016.\u003csup\u003e10\u003c/sup\u003e\r\nIn Pakistan, I introduced the environment in the legal education of the country\r\nthrough the Dr. Parvez Hassan Environmental Law Centre established by me at the\r\nPunjab University Law College in appreciation of it providing me a legal\r\neducation and the professional skills that enabled this establishment.\u003csup\u003e11\u003c/sup\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:.1in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eRecognition for my\r\nglobal work in the environment came in my inclusion by the United Nations as an\r\nEminent Person in the Asia Pacific Environment Persons Forum held in Tokyo,\r\nJapan, in 2001 which led to the Asia Pacific Forum of Environment and\r\nDevelopment (APFED) and in whose work I actively participated in the following\r\ndecade. I was also included in the U.N. Regional Roundtable of Eminent Persons\r\nfor Central and South Asia held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, in the same year. The\r\nassociation with APFED, (2001-2010), and its Chairman, Ryutaro Hashimoto,\r\nformer Prime Minister of Japan, and Ms. Yorika Kawaguchi, former Foreign\r\nMinister of Japan, led to several personal friendships including with some of\r\nits members, Emil Salim (Indonesia), Reza Maknoon (Iran), and Cielito Habito\r\n(Philippines). Its work involved extensive travel (about 20 visits) in the\r\nESCAP Region including to Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, China, Mongolia, Palau,\r\nSri Lanka, Kazakhstan, Iran, Australia and the Philippines.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:.1in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eAlso welcome was the\r\ninvitation, as one of the few non-Judges, to address the UNEP Global Judges\r\nSymposium on Sustainable Development and the Role of Law held with the World\r\nSummit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2002. It\r\nwas at this plenary event, attended by most of the Chief Justices of the world,\r\nthat I paid a personal tribute to the leadership of environmental causes in the\r\nSouth Asian Region by Mr. Justice Saleem Akhtar, who had authored the\r\nground-breaking environmental law \u003cu\u003eShehla Zia\u003c/u\u003e judgment for the Supreme\r\nCourt of Pakistan.\u003csup\u003e12\u003c/sup\u003e I also participated in the World Congress on\r\nJustice, Governance and Law for Environmental Sustainability in 2012 in Rio de\r\nJaneiro, Brazil, and its earlier preparatory meeting in Buenos Aires,\r\nArgentina, the same year. These recognitions were typical of the numerous\r\nopportunities to speak, chair and keynote at important environmental law\r\nconferences in over forty (40) countries all over the world,\u003csup\u003e13\u003c/sup\u003e and\r\nto be on the editorial boards of prestigious international law journals.\u003csup\u003e14\u003c/sup\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:8.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eTypical opportunities\r\nwere keynote addresses on (1) \u003cu\u003eHuman Rights and the Environment: A South\r\nAsian Perspective\u003c/u\u003e,\u003csup\u003e15\u003c/sup\u003e at the 13th Informal Asia-Europe Meeting\r\n(ASEM) Seminar on Human Rights in 2014 hosted by the Foreign Ministries\r\nincluding of Denmark, France, Sweden, Philippines and the Asia-Europe\r\nFoundation (ASEF), in Copenhagen, Denmark, and on (2) \u003cu\u003eElements of Good\r\nEnvironmental Governance\u003c/u\u003e,\u003csup\u003e16\u003c/sup\u003e at the Asia Pacific Forum on\r\nEnvironmental Governance and Sustainable Development held at the United Nations\r\nUniversity, Tokyo, Japan, in 2001. I also made lead presentations on \u003cu\u003e(1)\r\nGood Environmental Governance: Some Trends in the South Asian Region\u003c/u\u003e,\u003csup\u003e17\u003c/sup\u003e\r\nat the 3rd Unitar-Yale Conference on Environmental Governance and Democracy,\r\nYale University, New Haven, Conn., U.S.A., in 2014, and on (2) \u003cu\u003eA Glass Half\r\nFull: Toward a Global Treaty on the Environment\u003c/u\u003e,\u003csup\u003e18\u003c/sup\u003e at the\r\nOpening Session of the Third International Environmental Law Conference, Oslo,\r\nNorway, in 2022.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:8.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eFor my efforts for the\r\ndeveloping countries, I was privileged to present a keynote address, \u003cu\u003eThe\r\nRole of the Developing Countries in the Development of International\r\nEnvironmental Law\u003c/u\u003e, at the World Congress on Environmental Law in 2016 in\r\nRio de Janeiro, Brazil.\u003csup\u003e19\u003c/sup\u003e Another earlier, and memorable,\r\nopportunity was to present, as a lead panelist, my paper on \u003cu\u003eMoving Toward an\r\nIslamic Financial Regime in Pakistan\u003c/u\u003e,\u003csup\u003e20\u003c/sup\u003e at the Harvard Law\r\nSchool\u0027s Second Worldwide Alumni Congress in Paris, France, in 2001.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:8.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eMy work has, gratefully,\r\nbeen acknowledged in several international awards and citations by the United\r\nNations and other bodies:\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:8.0pt;\r\nmargin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.3in;mso-pagination:none;\r\npage-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:\r\nnone\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003e \u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e      \u003c/span\u003eGlobal\r\n500 Roll of Honor by the United Nations Environment Program conferred in\r\nStockholm, \u003cu\u003eSweden\u003c/u\u003e (1991).\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:8.0pt;\r\nmargin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.3in;mso-pagination:none;\r\npage-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:\r\nnone\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003e \u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e      \u003c/span\u003eHonorary\r\nMembership of IUCN conferred at the IUCN - The World Conservation Congress in \u003cu\u003eAmman\u003c/u\u003e,\r\nJordan (2000).\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:8.0pt;\r\nmargin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.3in;mso-pagination:none;\r\npage-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:\r\nnone\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003e \u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e      \u003c/span\u003eElizabeth\r\nHaub Prize (1998) awarded in \u003cu\u003eBrussels\u003c/u\u003e (2000).\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:8.0pt;\r\nmargin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.3in;mso-pagination:none;\r\npage-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:\r\nnone\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003e \u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e      \u003c/span\u003e\u0026quot;A\r\nTribute to Parvez Hassan\u0026quot; at the 7th International Conference on\r\nEnvironmental Law in Sao Paulo, \u003cu\u003eBrazil\u003c/u\u003e, 2003.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:8.0pt;\r\nmargin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.3in;mso-pagination:none;\r\npage-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:\r\nnone\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003e \u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e      \u003c/span\u003eWolfgang\r\nBurhenne Award at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Barcelona, \u003cu\u003eSpain\u003c/u\u003e\r\n(2008).\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:.1in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eBut, before tonight, my\r\nmost cherished award has been the recent Lifetime Achievement Award (2021) from\r\nGovernment College University, Lahore. This is the College from where,\r\nfollowing four (4) career-building years, 1955-59, I graduated with a B.A. in\r\n1959 to start my legal education at the Punjab University Law College, Lahore.\r\nThe smell of success is always sweet but it is sweetest when it comes from an\r\nalma mater that has played a formative role in your life.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:.1in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eIn Pakistan, after being\r\nthe first to introduce the environment in the country as early as in 1977, to\r\ninitial ridicule and opposition, I was associated with the drafting of the Pakistan\r\nEnvironmental Protection Ordinance, 1983 and the later Pakistan Environmental\r\nProtection Act, 1997. My journey through judicial activism was jump-started by\r\nmy success in the internationally-acclaimed \u003cu\u003eShehla Zia\u003c/u\u003e case that I\r\nargued before the Supreme Court of Pakistan. It was, pioneeringly, held inthis\r\ncase by the Supreme Court, in 1994, that the right to the environment, although\r\nnot specifically included in the Constitution, is included in the fundamental\r\nrights to life and dignity covered in Articles 9 and 14 of the Constitution.\u003csup\u003e21\u003c/sup\u003e\r\nThis opened the door, and wide open, and spawned public interest litigation on\r\nenvironmental causes all over the country. There are other remarkable\r\njurisprudential developments post-\u003cu\u003eShehla\u003c/u\u003e \u003cu\u003eZia\u003c/u\u003e: The Supreme Court\r\nand the Lahore and Islamabad High Courts have, first on my suggestion, used\r\nCommissions in resolving complex environmental disputes before them and,\r\ninvariably, appointed me as Chair of such Commissions.\u003csup\u003e22\u003c/sup\u003e These\r\nCommissions have included:\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1in;\r\nmargin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.3in;mso-pagination:none;\r\npage-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:\r\nnone\u0027\u003e\u003cu\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003e1. By the Supreme Court of Pakistan\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/u\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1in;\r\nmargin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.3in;mso-pagination:none;\r\npage-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:\r\nnone\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003e \u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e      \u003c/span\u003eWater\r\nQuality, 1994\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1in;\r\nmargin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.3in;mso-pagination:none;\r\npage-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:\r\nnone\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003e \u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e      \u003c/span\u003eLahore\r\nCanal Widening, 2011\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1in;\r\nmargin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.3in;mso-pagination:none;\r\npage-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:\r\nnone\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003e \u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e      \u003c/span\u003eEnvironmental\r\nCommission for Air and Water, 2018\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1in;\r\nmargin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.3in;mso-pagination:none;\r\npage-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:\r\nnone\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003e \u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e      \u003c/span\u003ePower\r\nCrushers Commission, 2021\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1in;\r\nmargin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.3in;mso-pagination:none;\r\npage-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:\r\nnone\u0027\u003e\u003cu\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003e2. By the Lahore High Court\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/u\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1in;\r\nmargin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.3in;mso-pagination:none;\r\npage-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:\r\nnone\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003e \u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e      \u003c/span\u003eAir\r\nPollution, 1991\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1in;\r\nmargin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.3in;mso-pagination:none;\r\npage-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:\r\nnone\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003e \u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e      \u003c/span\u003eSolid\r\nWaste Management, 2003\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1in;\r\nmargin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.3in;mso-pagination:none;\r\npage-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:\r\nnone\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003e \u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e      \u003c/span\u003eClean\r\nAir, 2003\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1in;\r\nmargin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.3in;mso-pagination:none;\r\npage-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:\r\nnone\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003e \u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e      \u003c/span\u003eClimate\r\nChange, 2015\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1in;\r\nmargin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.3in;mso-pagination:none;\r\npage-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:\r\nnone\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003e \u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e      \u003c/span\u003eHoubara\r\nBustard, 2017\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1in;\r\nmargin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.3in;mso-pagination:none;\r\npage-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:\r\nnone\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003e \u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e      \u003c/span\u003eSmog,\r\n2017\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1in;\r\nmargin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.3in;mso-pagination:none;\r\npage-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:\r\nnone\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003e \u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e      \u003c/span\u003eChild\r\nCare, 2017\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1in;\r\nmargin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.3in;mso-pagination:none;\r\npage-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:\r\nnone\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003e \u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e      \u003c/span\u003eBlack\r\nBuck, 2018 \u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1in;\r\nmargin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.3in;mso-pagination:none;\r\npage-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:\r\nnone\u0027\u003e\u003cu\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003e3. By the Islamabad High Court\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/u\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1in;\r\nmargin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.3in;mso-pagination:none;\r\npage-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:\r\nnone\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003e \u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e      \u003c/span\u003eIslamabad\r\nEnvironment, 2015\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:.1in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eThis work has resonated\r\nin and outside Pakistan and is covered in my book, \u003cu\u003eResolving Environmental\r\nDisputes in Pakistan: The Role of Judicial Commissions\u003c/u\u003e (Pakistan Law House,\r\n2018), with a gracious introductory Preface by the then Chief Justice of the\r\nLahore High Court, Syed Mansoor Ali Shah.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:.1in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eThe deference and\r\nrespect shown to me by the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the High Courts of\r\nPakistan has been most heartening. The directions in the Order of the Supreme\r\nCourt of Pakistan, on 11 October 2018, in Suo Motu Case No. 3 of 2003, are\r\ntypical:\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1in;\r\nmargin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.3in;mso-pagination:none;\r\npage-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:\r\nnone\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e       \u003c/span\u003e \r\nwe appoint Dr. Parvez Hassan, learned ASC, as the Environmental Commission\r\ninitially for a period of one year (this has been extended to date) to take all\r\nmeasures to accomplish the objectives of the Commission report throughout\r\nPakistan. The Federal Government, all Provincial Governments and related\r\nDepartments including the Administration of Islamabad Capital Territory shall\r\nrender full support and assistance to the Commission to implement the report.\r\nThe Commission shall have the power to issue directions for implementation of\r\nits recommendations . The Commission shall have its office at Lahore. In case,\r\nthe Environmental Commissioner so requires, he may request the Chief Secretary,\r\nPunjab for provisions of appropriate office and staff to facilitate the working\r\nof the Commission. If the Commissioner commences work in other provinces he\r\nwill be authorized to move appropriate applications before the respective Chief\r\nSecretaries who would provide suitable offices and adequate staff to facilitate\r\nthe Environmental Commission work for implementation of the report which has\r\nbeen endorsed by this Court. \u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:.1in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eA more recent Order of\r\n25 May 2023 of the Supreme Court in the same case affirmed appreciation of the\r\nCommission:\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1in;\r\nmargin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.3in;mso-pagination:none;\r\npage-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:\r\nnone\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e       \u003c/span\u003e3.\r\nThe Chairman of the Commission also apprised us that a series of meetings were\r\nheld with brick kiln owners in Lahore to review the Issues relating to\r\nconversion to zigzag technology. On the initiative of the Chairman, the State\r\nBank of Pakistan (\u0026quot;SBP\u0026quot;) has included the upgradation and conversion\r\nof brick kilns to zigzag technology in its Refinance facility for Modernization\r\nof SMEs. Circular No.9 dated 23.07.2019 and Circular No. 7 dated 06.05.2010\r\nhave already been issued in this regard.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1in;\r\nmargin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.3in;mso-pagination:none;\r\npage-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:\r\nnone\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e       \u003c/span\u003e4.\r\nIt appears that the Commission has provided an important platform for\r\ninterprovincial coordination on environmental issues between the Federation and\r\nthe Provinces after the Eighteenth Constitutional Amendment. It is in the\r\nnational interest to continue it as it has provided a forum for discussion of\r\nproblems and their possible solutions in each of the Provinces which benefit\r\nother provinces. The most salutary effect of the work of the Commission is the\r\nestablishment of understating, cooperation and opening lines of communication\r\nbetween all provincial environmental administrators and other stakeholders\r\nwhich would go a long way in agreeing on a uniform policy and its\r\nimplementation on the national level.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1in;\r\nmargin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.3in;mso-pagination:none;\r\npage-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:\r\nnone\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e       \u003c/span\u003e5.\r\nDr. Parvez Hassan has stated that on the initiative of this Court he had agreed\r\nto head the Commission and has done so to the best of his ability for the past\r\nmany years. However, he feels that it is time to handover the baton to senior\r\nState functionaries at the Secretary level by rotation who may continue the\r\nwork that the Commission has initiated and carried forth.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1in;\r\nmargin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.3in;mso-pagination:none;\r\npage-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:\r\nnone\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e       \u003c/span\u003e6.\r\nHaving heard the learned Chairman of the Commission we are of the view that he\r\nhas been the main driving force behind the Commission and has rendered valuable\r\nservices for a national cause on \u003cu\u003epro bono\u003c/u\u003e basis. He is not only a senior\r\nLawyer of this Court but an environmentalist of international repute enjoying\r\ninternational stature and in that capacity has personal rapport with and access\r\nto international expertise and the leading experts on environmental issues.\r\nFurther, he has developed a good working relationship with all stakeholders\r\nwhether they be from private or public sector and has been able to cut through\r\nred tape which could hamper effective working of the Commission. His continued\r\nassociation with the Commission, in our view is of utmost importance and his\r\nresignation from his position may adversely affect the progress of the\r\nCommission which considering the importance of the subject and issues that are\r\nbeing addressed by the Commission would have a negative impact on the gains\r\nmade so far. We have therefore requested Dr. Parvez Hassan to continue as\r\nChairman of the Commission so that maximum progress in the minimum possible\r\ntime is made. He has kindly acceded to our request and will continue as its\r\nChairman.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:.1in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eThe comments on the work\r\nof the Islamabad Environmental Commission by the then Chief Justice of the\r\nIslamabad High Court, Mr. Athar Minallah, typical of the High Courts on\r\nCommissions appointed by them, were also felicitous:\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1in;\r\nmargin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.3in;mso-pagination:none;\r\npage-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:\r\nnone\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e       \u003c/span\u003eIn\r\nthis context it would be beneficial to refer to the report of a Commission\r\nwhich was constituted by this Court exclusively to investigate and make\r\nrecommendations regarding environmental degradation and failure of regulatory\r\nframework in the Islamabad Capital Territory. This Court had constituted the\r\nCommission for examining the consequences flowing from failure on the part of\r\nthe Authority to enforce the regulatory framework in the context of\r\nenvironmental degradation in the Islamabad Capital Territory . this Court had\r\nconstituted the Commission chaired by a distinguished environmental law expert,\r\nnamely, Dr. Pervez Hassan. The Terms of Reference were explicitly confined to\r\nenvironmental issues relating to the Islamabad Capital Territory. After\r\nextensive deliberations the Commission submitted its detailed report, dated\r\n19-10-2015. The report has been made an integral part of this judgment as\r\nAnnexure A. This report is unique and exceptional because it was unanimously\r\nadopted by all the members of the Commission, which included the highest\r\nofficials of the Federal Government, the Capital Development Authority, members\r\nof the Parliament, experts in the environmental field and civil society\r\norganizations. The unanimity in adopting the report is of great significance.\r\nIt was indeed the first public document of this nature which had forthrightly\r\nand openly acknowledged the failures which have led to serious environmental\r\ndegradation. The composition of the Commission and the unanimous\r\nrecommendations adopted by all its members, including representatives of the\r\nFederal Government and the Capital Development Authority, is of great\r\nsignificance. This report further reaffirmed the need for adopting the\r\npreventive principle. Perusal of the report explicitly shows that the\r\nCommission was by and large satisfied with the existing legal and regulatory\r\nframe work for the purposes of protecting the environment in the Islamabad\r\nCapital Territory. However, it has been openly accepted and acknowledged that\r\n\u0026quot;the challenge has been that these laws and regulations are not properly\r\nimplemented and enforced by the Federal Government, CDA, PEPA and ICT\u0026quot;.\u003csup\u003e23\u003c/sup\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:9.0pt;text-align:justify;line-height:\r\n12.1pt;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;mso-pagination:none;page-break-after:avoid;\r\ntab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eInspite of a busy life, I found time to regularly\r\nwrite Opeds for many newspapers and opinion-makers such as \u003cu\u003eOutlook\u003c/u\u003e and\r\nMazhar Ali Khan\u0027s \u003cu\u003eViewpoint\u003c/u\u003e and for law journals in and outside\r\nPakistan. In addition, I never declined an invitation to address, all over\r\nPakistan, schools, colleges and fora such as Rotary Clubs to disseminate my\r\nmessage on environment and sustainable development.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:9.0pt;text-align:justify;line-height:\r\n12.1pt;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;mso-pagination:none;page-break-after:avoid;\r\ntab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eI add that I also found time to teach international\r\nlaw and, later, environmental law and corporate regulation at (1) the Civil\r\nServices Academy, Lahore, (2) Islamabad University, through a weekly commute\r\nfrom Lahore, and (3) the first law courses at LUMS which led to the\r\nestablishment of the Shaikh Ahmad Hassan School of Law (SAHSOL) named after my\r\nfather.\u003csup\u003e24\u003c/sup\u003e The association with the Civil Services Academy,\r\nparticularly, impacted on my future friendships with the many diplomats and\r\nambassadors whom I had taught as young Foreign Service probationers at the\r\nAcademy.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:9.0pt;text-align:justify;line-height:\r\n12.1pt;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;mso-pagination:none;page-break-after:avoid;\r\ntab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eInternational Environmental Law conferencing came\r\nto Pakistan in a big way in 2012 when the Supreme Court of Pakistan organized\r\nthe South Asian Conference on Environmental Justice at Bhurban. For me, it was\r\na dream come true to see the acknowledgement of my role in introducing the environment\r\nto Pakistan by the superior judiciary in inviting me to be the lead speaker\r\nwith my paper on \u003cu\u003eEnvironmental Jurisprudence from Pakistan: Some Lessons for\r\nthe SAARC Region\u003c/u\u003e.\u003csup\u003e25\u003c/sup\u003e The other occasion was when the Lahore High\r\nCourt hosted the Asia Pacific Judicial Colloquium on Climate Change in Lahore\r\nin 2018. It was a pleasure for me to invite all the participants, including\r\nmany foreign friends, whose hospitality I had enjoyed on visits to their\r\ncountries, to dinner at my house as the kick-off event for the Colloquium. My\r\npaper, \u003cu\u003eJudicial Commissions and Climate Justice in Pakistan\u003c/u\u003e,\u003csup\u003e26\u003c/sup\u003e\r\nwas well-received at the Colloquium and, again, acknowledged for my leadership\r\nin environmental matters in Pakistan.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:9.0pt;text-align:justify;line-height:\r\n12.1pt;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;mso-pagination:none;page-break-after:avoid;\r\ntab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan\r\nstyle=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eBut the opportunity, over the last decades, that\r\nprovided immeasurable personal pride was to speak at the Seminar on\r\nDispensation of Justice in South Punjab, held in Bahawalpur in 2019, with the\r\nChief Justice of the Lahore High Court and other Judges of the Lahore High\r\nCourt, to a large audience of lawyers and the public. I had returned to my\r\nroots in Bahawalpur and I shared the great contributions of my father, Shaikh\r\nAhmad Hassan, and my grandfather, Dr. Omar Bakhsh, to the development of\r\nBahawalpur and to my privilege to represent Bahawalpur and Pakistan at the 7th\r\nWorld Boy Scout Jamboree, Austria, 1951, and at the 8th World Boy Scout\r\nJamboree, Canada, 1955. This formed the background to my remarks on my\r\ninvolvement in environmental protection in Pakistan and the strategy of\r\nincluding the journalists and the judiciary in its success.\u003csup\u003e27\u003c/sup\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:.1in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eThe \u003cu\u003epro bono\u003c/u\u003e work\r\nhas been an extremely rewarding experience for me personally. Even though the\r\nhigh level of the professional fee of a lawyer is usually a matter of curiosity\r\nand speculation, I ended up spending at least 40%, sometimes even 50%, of my\r\nprofessional time all my professional life, on \u003cu\u003epro bono\u003c/u\u003e work. My\r\nparents, Razia and Shaikh Ahmad Hassan, would be proud of this.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:.1in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eMy family was also proud\r\nfor my dedicated commitment to human rights, rule of law, and to serve Pakistan\r\nthrough political associations with the Tehrik-e-Istiqlal and the\r\nTehrik-e-Insaaf. In the MRD \u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:.1in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003emovement against Ziaul\r\nHaq in 1983, I led, on the secondment of the imprisoned Abid Hassan Manto and\r\nSyed Afzal Haider, the All \u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:.1in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003ePakistan Lawyers\r\nNational Co-ordination Committee. I also readily joined the protest against the\r\nMusharraf-appointed PCO Judges in 2007 and was the first, perhaps the only\r\nlawyer, who returned substantial professional fees, already received, for not\r\nappearing before a truncated judiciary. I again faced police brutality and\r\narrest in the Lawyers Movement in 2007-2008 and highlighted this movement\r\nduring my global travels including in my paper, \u003cu\u003eThe Role of Lawyers in\r\nProtecting the Rule of Law in Pakistan\u003c/u\u003e,\u003csup\u003e28\u003c/sup\u003e at the Human Rights\r\nPanel, chaired by the legendary U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Ginsburg, at\r\nthe World Justice Forum, sponsored by the American Bar Association, in Vienna\r\nin 2008.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:.1in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eIt would be fair, amidst\r\nall these stories of success, to also acknowledge, failures. The biggest of\r\nthese was the failure of my marriage with Nighat, my children\u0027s mother. I\r\nrecently dedicated my Environmental Law Book to her for her valuable support to\r\nme. I also failed in politics in leading, as its first Secretary General, the\r\nTehrik-e- Insaaf to its- no seat won - failure in the general elections in\r\n1997. \u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:.1in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eMy leadership in the\r\nIUCN - the most respected environmental organization in the world - was\r\nacknowledged to a request that I offer myself, which I did unsuccessfully, for\r\nits Presidency at the IUNC World Congresses in Montreal in 1996 and Bangkok in\r\n2004. But all lives are a mix of challenges, successes and failures. One should\r\nnot be deterred by failures particularly if they are off-set by some successes.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:.1in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eMuch of what I have\r\nshared tonight with you has been available on You Tube and other soft media\r\nchannels.\u003csup\u003e29\u003c/sup\u003e Many have seen these but I am particularly happy when\r\nyoung lawyers find my experiences and messages motivational and helpful in\r\ntheir life.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:.1in;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eIt has been a blessed\r\nlife with so much bounty to be grateful for, the most precious my family, my\r\nchildren, Yasmeen, Omar, Fatima and my grandchildren, Zeeshan, Zaki and\r\nNatasha. As many as could are here to join my gratitude to you. Harvard-law\r\neducated, Yasmeen, rose to an international standing as leading her\r\ninternational non-profit organization, Equality Now, to the International\r\nGender Equality Prize of Euros 300,000 awarded by the Government of Finland in\r\n2019, the second awardee after the inaugural winner, the German Chancellor,\r\nAngela Merkel, in 2017. Yasmeen was also announced, I recall recently, as the\r\n50 Leading over-50 Women of the World (exact title not available at this time)\r\nby Forbes Magazine. My son, Omar, is a sought-after RISD-trained architect in\r\nLahore and now the Dean of the Razia Hassan School of Architecture, named after\r\nmy mother, at BNU.\u003csup\u003e30\u003c/sup\u003e And, my daughter in law, Fatima, has a busy\r\nprofessional life, including helping the Nishat Group in designing its outlets\r\nin Pakistan and the Gulf. And, I have immense hope and plenty of prayers for\r\nthe happy, healthy and successful futures of my three grand-children, Zeeshan,\r\nZaki and Natasha.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:8.5pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eInspired by the\r\nlife-changing impact of Adlai Stevenson\u0027s eulogy of Eleanor Roosevelt in 1962,\r\nI have tried to always light candles rather than curse the darkness. To sum up\r\na life fully blessed, if\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-spacerun:yes\u0027\u003e  \u003c/span\u003eI have to pick\r\nsome words that have provided a compass for my life, these would be vision,\r\nintegrity, honesty, trust and respect, gratitude, (as acknowledged in my book, \u003cu\u003eStories\r\nof Gratitude\u003c/u\u003e), hard work, thoroughness, punctuality, fairness, ability to\r\nenjoy the success of others,\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-spacerun:yes\u0027\u003e  \u003c/span\u003emerit-based\r\ndecisions, conservation, tax obligations, physical fitness, charity and \u003cu\u003egiving\r\nback to society\u003c/u\u003e, all reinforced by a pathological abhorrence of the VIP\r\nculture in Pakistan.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:8.5pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eIn the end, it is with\r\nmuch joy and happiness that I dedicate the SDPI Living Legend Award 2023 to all\r\nof you and others who believed in me and gave me an opportunity to give back to\r\nsociety. As my distinguished younger colleague, Ali Zafar, recently wrote to\r\nfelicitate me on the SDPI Award:\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:8.5pt;\r\nmargin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.3in;mso-pagination:none;\r\npage-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:\r\nnone\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e       \u003c/span\u003eI\r\nhave had the privilege of knowing you, working with you and learning from you\r\nfor the past many decades. We all have to follow your ability to give (one\r\nexample of which are the donations to universities and the cause of education).\r\nMay Allah keep you safe in his blessings. \u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:8.5pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eHere, I also add the\r\nmost moving tribute to my life by an intellectual benefactor:\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:8.5pt;\r\nmargin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.3in;mso-pagination:none;\r\npage-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:\r\nnone\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027mso-tab-count:1\u0027\u003e       \u003c/span\u003ePlease\r\naccept my congratulations on receiving the SDPI-\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:8.5pt;\r\nmargin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.3in;mso-pagination:none;\r\npage-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:\r\nnone\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eLiving Legend Award 2023. It is a\r\ntribute richly deserved \u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:8.5pt;\r\nmargin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.3in;mso-pagination:none;\r\npage-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:\r\nnone\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eand fully merited, though, if truth be\r\ntold, it is you who honor the Institute by accepting the award. Your manifold\r\ncontributions, both national and international, to many many deserving and\r\nworthwhile causes; the long and illustrious career at the Bar; and what to me\r\nis perhaps the most wonderful and lasting of your legacies, the founding of the\r\nLaw School at LUMS, attest to the life of a titan. It has been my honor \u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:8.5pt;\r\nmargin-left:.5in;text-align:justify;text-indent:-.3in;mso-pagination:none;\r\npage-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:\r\nnone\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eand pleasure to have met and known you.\r\nMay Allah grant you many more years of continuing contributions, in health and\r\nhappiness.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:8.5pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eGiving back, then, is my\r\nover-arching message today, possibly a swan song, and, I hope, my legacy for\r\nthis distinguished gathering. May Allah bless this message and us all.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp class=MsoNormal style=\u0027margin-bottom:8.5pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:\r\nnone;page-break-after:avoid;tab-stops:.5in;mso-layout-grid-align:none;\r\ntext-autospace:none\u0027\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0027letter-spacing:.2pt\u0027\u003eThank you.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003c/div\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003c/body\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003c/html\u003e\r\n"