New York bar awarded its highest honor to CJP Iftikhar M. Chaudhry

NEW YORK: Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry received Honorary Membership at a solemn ceremony on October 18, 2008, from one of the world’s largest bar associations, “New York City Bar Association”.

Chaudhry is the eighth individual to be awarded honorary membership by the New York City Bar. Prior recipients include former Chief Justice of the United States, William Rehnquist, former Chief Justice of India, P.N. Bhagwati and Judge Thomas Buergenthal of the International Court of Justice.

The 23,000-member New York City Bar Association’s President, Patricia Hynes, presented the award — a framed citation — to Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry in recognition of his efforts to uphold the rule of law.

"This is a very proud moment for our association," Hynes told Chaudhry as a large gathering of lawyers and other guests gave him a standing ovation.

The former chief justice addressed the gathering after his formal introduction by a U.S. Judge, Jed Rakoff, who praised his courage in upholding rule of law.

Addressing the gathering, the deposed Chief Justice paid tributes to American lawyers for supporting the lawyers’ movement in Pakistan in their struggle to restore an independent judiciary. Pakistani lawyers, especially the young, have been in the forefront of the struggle for the independence of judiciary.