Country’s veteran lawyer and constitution expert Dr M Zahir passed away
at a hospital in Bangkok on Thursday. He was 74.
Family sources said Dr Zahir breathed his last at 10:30am (BDT). He was flown to Bangkok on June 27 as he had long been suffering from cancer. Moshtaque Ahmed Chowdhury, an assistant lawyer of Dr Zahir, told UNB that his body will be brought back home on Friday noon by a Thai Airways flight.
Moshtaque said his first Namaj-e-Janaja will be held on the Supreme Court premises at 3 pm on Friday while the second at a mosque of Dhanmondi road No. 7 after Asr prayers. Later, he will be buried at Banani graveyard.
Meanwhile, President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury and Opposition Leader Khaleda Zia expressed deep shock and sorrow at the death of Dr Zahir.
In his message, the President said, “The country has lost a veteran lawyer and constitution expert with his death.”
In a separate message, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that at the death of Zahir the country has not only lost a veteran lawyer but also lost a constitution specialist.
Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury, in her message, said Dr Zahir’s death is an irreparable loss to the judiciary.
In another message, opposition leader Khaleda Zia said, “His demise has created a vacuum in the country at a time when it is passing through a deep crisis.”
Meanwhile, activities at the Appellate Division were suspended at 12 noon for Thursday after hearing the news of M Zahir’s death.
Dr Zahir started his legal profession at a Dhaka court in 1962 on completion of his BA (Hons), MA in English literature and LLB from Dhaka University. Later, he obtained LLM degree from the University of London in 1964 and PhD on company law from the same university in 1966.
He had taught company law at Dhaka University for 20 years. Zahir got enlisted as a senior advocate of the Supreme Court in 1978. He also authored some books on legal profession and his experience.
Dr Zahir was elected a member of the Court of Arbitration at the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris.
-With The Independent input
