Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar sworn in as Sindh caretaker CM

KARACHI: Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar on Thursday took oath as the caretaker chief minister of Sindh, Geo News reported. 

Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori administered the oath to the interim chief executive. The oath-taking ceremony was also attended by former CM Murad Ali Shah, ex-ministers and others. 

Outgoing CM Murad Ali Shah and his cabinet members were also present at the oath-taking ceremony.

Before attending the oath-taking ceremony, the former chief minister was given a guard of honour as he was leaving the provincial chief executive’s residence.

Earlier this week, after days of deliberation about who will be the next interim Sindh chief minister, the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in the province and leader of the opposition of the dissolved assembly Rana Ansar, representing the Mutahidda Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), had agreed on naming Justice (retd) Baqar for the post.

Justice (retd) Baqar last served as a senior judge at the Supreme Court of Pakistan after receiving elevation from his post as the Sindh High Court chief justice on February 17, 2015. He was appointed as the top provincial judge of Sindh in September 2013. Justice (retd) Baqar retired from the apex court in April 2022.

He garnered praise for his works as an excellent and brave jurist, particularly following a targeted attack on him by a terrorist outfit due to his judicial verdicts against terrorists.

Justice (retd) Baqar was also known for his critique of the judiciary. Following his retirement in April 2022, he once publicly pointed out severe flaws in the country's judicial affairs.

Born on April 5, 1957, the senior SC judge began his legal career with his enrollment as an advocate in May 1981 after completing his LLB from the University of Karachi. He was appointed as an additional judge of the Sindh High Court (SHC) on August 26, 2002, and confirmed as an SHC judge the following year.

While he was serving at the SHC, Justice Baqar’s judgments in terrorism cases irked terrorist outfits, after which he was targeted by Lashkar-e-Jhangvi terrorists in a bomb explosion on June 26, 2013, in Karachi. He, along with personnel of law enforcement agencies, suffered injuries in the attack. But the judge returned to work after months of rehabilitative surgery.