Former president Rafiq Tarar, 92, breathed his last on March 7. He had served the country in various capacities and his legacy is considerable.

Tarar was one of the presidents who did not complete their term. He was the only candidate in the presidential election against former defence minister (and Pakistan Peoples Party candidate) Aftab Shaaban Mirani. His nomination papers were rejected by the election commissioner Justice Mukhtar Junejo over a controversial interview. Tarar appealed to a larger bench of the Lahore High Court, which allowed him to contest the elections. He took oath as 9th
president of Pakistan in January 1998.

He was no stranger to controversy even before his candidacy. It was said that he had been instrumental in removing Justice Sajjad Ali Shah Case from the office of chief justice of Pakistan.

Tarar was born in Pir Kot, Mandi Bahauddin, on November 2, 1929. After getting a degree in law from Punjab University in 1951, he had started his professional career as a lawyer. In 1966, he had joined judicial service. Later, he was elevated to Lahore High Court where he also served as chief justice. He was then elevated to the Supreme Court and retired on reaching the age of 65 in 1994.

In 1997, Tarar was elected a senator from the Punjab. During the tussle between then prime minister Nawaz Sharif and then chief justice Sajjad Ali Shah, Tarar used his connections in the judiciary to isolate Shah. 

In 1997, he was elected a senator from the Punjab. In the tussle between the then prime minister Nawaz Sharif and the then chief justice of Pakistan Sajjad Ali Shah he was said to have used his connections in the judiciary to isolate Shah.

When Gen Pervaiz Musharraf took over on October 12, 1999, Tarar was not removed from the presidency until 2001. That year Gen Musharraf planned his visit to India and asked Tarar to leave the presidency. Tarar refused to resign and never endorsed Musharraf’s coup. He also refused to sign several documents presented by the Musharraf regime.

He continued to claim publicly during the Musharraf regime that he was the constitutional president of Pakistan.

During his early years, he had been participating in political activities led by Maulana Atta Ullah Shah Bukhari’s Majlis-i-Ahrarul Islam and later, the All India Muslim Students Federation.

He had earned the trust and respect of the Sharif family. Former prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif, former chief minister Shahbaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz have all expressed grief over his passing away and offered condolences to his family.

His political legacy includes his daughter-in-law, the former federal minister Saira Afzal Tarar and grandson, Attaullah Tarar, the PML-N Punjab deputy secretary-general. Writer Mustansar Hussain Tarar and Maj Mubasher, the former police officer, are also related to him.

The author is a senior journalist, teacher of journalism, writer and analyst. He tweets at @BukhariMubasher