I will be forever in your debt.
You have given me such a wonderful gift and changed my soul forever. Because of
you EVERY DAY I am striving to be a better son , brother ,father ,friend and
professional. You were an angel here on earth and I feel so blessed and thank
God every day for knowing you.
Words cannot express the sadness we felt when we heard of Junab Bashir Ahmed
Ansari’s passing. We not only had the privilege to meet and work with him but
also had the privilege to learn more about humanity, humbleness , patriotism and
law , during which period it was obvious that he was a very special person, and
his spirit shone out and touched everyone around him. Please know that you are
in our thoughts and prayers. May your memories comfort you .
The late Junab Bashir Ahmed Ansari , Senior Advocate Supreme Court was born in
the year 1918. It was the time when Khilaphat Movement was at full swing. The
people of the country , particularly Muslims of the then united India hated to
learn modern languages like English. In his childhood , he after getting
traditional religious education of Quran and Sunnah also acquired reasonable
proficiency in English. He was graduated from Government College Civil Lines,
Lahore, whereafter he went to Aligargh Muslim University for studying law ,
during which period he devoted all his leisure hours to the pursuit of learning
Law and acquired reasonable proficiency in Law in short time.
After spending some time in Indian Civil Service he choose to practice law.
After the partition , he became Member of Rawalpindi Bar Association Rawalpindi
, whereafter soon he impressed his clients, Bar and Bench. He was soon renown in
the area because of his talent, dedication and devotion towards his profession.
This was the turning point in Ansari Shaib's life. At that time, there were few
Lawyers in Rawalpindi because earlier before partition the profession was
adopted and got hold by the Hindus Lawyers. In his early days in profession of
law he proved his worth against such well-known professionals like Mr. Minto,
His Lordship Mr. Justice Tanzir-Ur-Rehman. But, he took it as a challenge and
devoted each ounce of his energy to his profession. His interest and devotion
towards the job did not go unrecorded and soon he was offered the post of Judge
of High Court but he chose to serve his clients. Ansari Sahib established his
credentials in the legal profession to such an extent that he had to represent
Board of Revenue , Settlement Department, CDA, Rawalpindi Cantonment Board,
Military Estate Officer, Cement Corporation of Pakistan and other prominent
departments as well.
During practicing law more than half century, he not only safeguarded the rights
of his valuable clients but also advised them not to indulge themselves in
unnecessary litigation. The people of Rawalpindi, Islamabad and surrounding
Districts know that whenever they went to Ansari Sahib placing brief of a weak
cases , he advised them not to waste their precious time and energy at such like
hopeless case.
He was legend , he had been advising his clients not to indulge themselves
litigating womenfolk unnecessarily to avoid hardships in their lives but also to
avoid perpetual enmity between two families of litigants.
He loved his homeland. Pakistan was every thing for him. He deposited a handsome
money when the Government asked for help from the people of Pakistan for
eliminating debts of the country, he was one of the Lawyers from Rawalpindi who
secretly asked his Stenographer to deposit the same in the then Prime Minister’s
Account meant for this purpose.
Once established in his profession, Ansari Sahib directed his energies towards
the greater cause of the welfare of his not only under-privileged people but
also his fellow colleagues . He was elected as President Rawalpindi Bar
Association Rawalpindi in the year 1973 and first President of High Court Bar
Association, Rawalpindi Bench in the year 1981. He remained also Office Bear of
Aligarh Old Boys Association as well, the main objective of the association was
to spread education amongst the masses.
He never bowed to the political or other pressure from any quarter and always
followed his conscious while performing his professional duty. He proved himself
an honest person throughout his life. He had to resign from his job before
practicing law prematurely as he had refused to compromise on principles. He
always worked for the rule of law. In deed , he was man whose biography should
be written with an aim of making it a guide for young Lawyers to work honestly
and achieve success in their career. He was a man of integrity and principles'.
He never took short-cuts to climb to a higher position. He was a self-made man.
Self-respect was also part and parcel of Ansari Sahib’s personality. He used to
read books not only on his subject but also on Fiqah, Hadith, Quran and history.
The laws of the country were on his finger tips. He was an authority both on
existing Laws but also simultaneously on Shariah. He wrote his hand-written
Digest comprising more over 1000 pages which reflects his dedication to his
profession. He used to update him in the field of new developments on law. He
was very nice person and respected amongst the masses , Bar and Bench as well.
His son Justice (Retd) Tanvir Bashir Ansari was also a brilliant lawyer and
jurist of the country.
Ansari Sahib, one of the most remarkable Lawyer of Rawalpindi , breathed his
last in the morning of 12th Ramadan , at the age of 86 years, at Islamabad, he
was laid to rest in midst of thousands of the mourners including his clients,
Lawyers, Judges . With his demise, a glorious chapter of history came to a
close. May Allah bless his soul.
"God saw he was getting tired...
and a cure was not to be;
So He put His arms around him
and said 'Come with Me.'
With tearful eyes we watched
and saw he fade away.
Although we loved him dearly,
we could not make his stay.
A precious heart stopped beating.
Gentle hands came to rest.
God broke our hearts to prove to us,
He only takes the best."
He was the BEST.