Hamoodur Rahman

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Hamoodur Rahman
حمود الرحمن
Hamoodur Rahman

In office
November 18, 1968 – October 31, 1975
Preceded by Fazal Akbar
Succeeded by Muhammad Yaqub Ali

Born November 1, 1910 (1910-11-01) (age 97) at Patna
(British India)
Nationality Pakistani

Hamoodur Rahman (Urdu: حمود الرحمن) (born November 1, 1910) was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University. Justice Hamoodur Rahman was born in Patna, India. He obtained his graduation from the St. Xavier's College of the University of Calcutta and an LLB from the University of London, studied in Gray's Inn, London, and was called to the Bar in London in 1937.

Hamoodur Rahman began his career as a lawyer in Calcutta High Court in 1938. He was a councillor of the Calcutta Corporation (1940) and Deputy Mayor of Calcutta (1943). Hamoodur Rahman was a member of the Junior Standing Counsel of the province of Bengal from 1943 to 1947. After the independence of Pakistan he opted for East Pakistan and came to Dhaka in 1948. He was appointed Advocate General of East Pakistan in 1953 and held it till 1954 when he was elevated to the bench as a judge of the Dhaka High Court.

Justice Hamoodur Rahman was a judge of the Dhaka High Court from 1954 to 1960 and vice chancellor of Dhaka University from November 1958 to December 1960. Hamoodur Rahman was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 1960, and was made Chief Justice of Pakistan in 1968 and retired in 1976.

Justice Hamoodur Rahman held various dignified positions during his judicial career. He was a member of the International Court of Arbitration (The Hague, 1959-60), chairman of the Commission on Students Problems and Welfare (1964), member of Law Reforms Commission (1967), member of War Enquiry Commission (1972), member of United Nations Committee on Crime Prevention and Control (1972-1973), and chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology, Pakistan (1974-1977). Hamoodur Rahman chose to remain a citizen of Pakistan after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.

[edit] Hamoodur Rahman Commission Report

He was made the chairman of the commission for inquiring into the break-up of Pakistan and role of the Pakistan army. His report revealed many aspects of politics in Pakistan army and particularly the atrocities committed by the army during the Civil War of 1971. Because of the nature of the findings it was not declassified for decades until an Indian newspaper published the details.

The War Inquiry Commission was appointed by the President of Pakistan in December 1971. The report was never made public in Pakistan. The report explores a number of issues such as : killing of thousands of Bangladeshis—both civilians and “Bengali” soldiers—rape, pan smuggling, looting of banks in East Pakistan, drunkenness by officers, even an instance of a Brigadier “entertaining” women while his troops were being shelled by Indian troops. The report recommended a string of court-martials and trials against top officers . However, no action was taken. The army’s role in splintering Pakistan after its greatest military debacle was largely ignored by successive Pakistani governments. The report examined nearly 300 individuals and hundreds of classified army signals. The final report was submitted on October 23, 1974.


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Preceded by
Fazal Akbar
Chief Justices of Pakistan Succeeded by
Muhammad Yaqub Ali


[edit] See also