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{{Short description|Pakistani jurist and academic (1910–1981)}}
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{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = [[The Honourable]]
| name = Hamoodur Rahman
| native_name = {{Nastaliq|حمود الرحمن}} {{Nastaliq|হামুদুর রহমান}}
| honorific-suffix = [[Nishan-e-Imtiaz|NI]], [[Hilal-i-Imtiaz|HI]]
| image = Chief Justice of Pakistan (Chief Justice) Hamood-ur-Rehman with Prime minister of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto..jpg
| image_size = 290px
| alt =
| caption = Rahman (left) with [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto]]
| office = 7th [[Chief Justice of Pakistan]]
| term_start = 18 November 1968
| term_end = 31 October 1975
| nominator = [[Alvin Robert Cornelius]]
| appointer = [[Ayub Khan (Field Marshal)|Ayub Khan]]
| predecessor = [[Fazal Akbar]]
| successor = [[Muhammad Yaqub Ali|Yaqub Ali]]
| office2 = [[List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Pakistan|Senior Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan]]
| term_start2 = 15 December 1960
| term_end2 = 31 October 1975
| nominator2 =
| appointer2 = [[Ayub Khan (Field Marshal)|Ayub Khan]]
| predecessor2 =
| successor2 =
| order3 = [[University of Dhaka#List of vice chancellors|Vice-Chancellor]] of the [[Dhaka University]]
| office3 = 
| term_start3 = 11 May 1958
| term_end3 = 14 December 1960
| alongside3 =
| chancellor3 = [[President of Pakistan]]
| predecessor3 = [[Muhammad Ibrahim (justice)|Muhammad Ibrahim]]
| successor3 = Dr. [[Mahmud Hussain]]
| pronunciation =
| birth_name = Hamoodur Rehman
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1910|11|1}}
| birth_place = [[Patna]], Bihar, [[Presidencies and provinces of British India|British India]] (now in [[Bihar]], India)
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1981|12|20|1910|11|1}}
| death_place = [[Islamabad]], Pakistan
| resting_place =
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| citizenship = [[British subject]] {{small|(1910–1947)}} {{PAK}} {{small|(1947–1981)}}
| nationality = {{flagicon image|Flag of Pakistan.svg}} [[Bengalis in Pakistan|Pakistani Bengali]]
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| children = [[Hameedur Rahman]]<nowiki> Mahfoozur Rahman </nowiki>
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| alma_mater = [[St. Xavier's College, Kolkata|University of Calcutta]] [[University of London]] [[Inns of Court School of Law]]
| occupation =
| profession = Jurist
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| awards = [[File:Medal of Excellence (ribbon).gif|30px]] [[Nishan-e-Imtiaz]] (1976) [[File:Yellow Crescent, Symbol of Islam.png|15px]] [[Hilal-i-Imtiaz]] (1974)
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[[File:Supreme_Court_of_Pakistan,_Islamabad_by_Usman_Ghani.jpg|thumb|[[Supreme Court of Pakistan]]]]

[[Chief Justice]] '''Hamoodur Rahman''' ({{lang-ur|{{Nastaliq|حمود الرحمن}}}}; 1 November 1910 – 20 December 1981<ref name="All-Pakistan Legal Decisions"/>), {{small|[[Nishan-e-Imtiaz|NI]]}}. {{small|[[Hilal-i-Imtiaz|HI]]}}, was a [[Pakistani Bengali]] [[Judge|jurist]] and an academic who served as the [[Chief Justices of Pakistan|Chief Justice]] of [[Pakistan]] from 18 November 1968 until 31 October 1975.

Educated in [[Law and Justice|law]] and trained as a [[jurist]] from the United Kingdom, he chaired the [[Hamoodur Rahman Commission|War Enquiry Commission]] to investigate the [[:Category:Causes and prelude of the Bangladesh Liberation War|causes]] of the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]] that led to the creation of [[Bangladesh]].<ref name="auto">{{cite book|last1=War|first1=Pakistan Hamoodur Rehman Commission of Inquiry into the 1971|title=The report of the Hamoodur Rehman Commission of inquiry into the 1971 war: as declassified by the Government of Pakistan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v_xtAAAAMAAJ|publisher=Vanguard|access-date=22 August 2016|language=en|date=1 January 2000|isbn=9789694023519}}</ref> In addition, Rehman served as a [[Professor of law|law professor]] in the faculty of [[Karachi University]] and vice-chancellor of [[University of Dhaka]] while remaining active in promoting literacy across the country. After the [[independence of Bangladesh]], Rehman's family retained Pakistan's [[Citizenship of Pakistan|citizenship]] and [[Iqbal Hameedur Rahman|his son]] served as the [[List of Chief Justices of Islamabad High Court|Chief Justice]] of [[Islamabad High Court]].<ref>{{cite web|title=ISLAMABAD HIGH COURT|url=http://www.ihc.gov.pk/justice-iqbal-hameed-ur-rehman.html|website=www.ihc.gov.pk|access-date=22 August 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317081357/http://ihc.gov.pk/justice-iqbal-hameed-ur-rehman.html|archive-date=17 March 2015|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Chief Justice Rahman remained a respected figure in [[Court system of pakistan|Pakistan's judiciary]], and is hailed for his [[honesty]] and [[Pakistani nationalism|patriotism]] that [[List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Pakistan|Senior Justice]] [[Khalil-ur-Rehman Ramday]] once publicly noted that "his Commission was the most honourable commission that was investigated by a Bengali Chief Justice, in spite of East-Pakistan disaster."<ref name="Lahore Bar Association">{{cite web|last1=Lahore Bar Association|title=A Great Name in History:Chief Justice Hamoodur Rahman|url=https://www.facebook.com/LahoreBarAssociationLahore/posts/340328182770413 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/212920255511207/340328182770413 |archive-date=2022-02-26 |url-access=limited|website=www.facebook.com|publisher=Lahore Bar Association|access-date=22 August 2022}}{{cbignore}}</ref> His findings, which exposed the [[1971 Bangladesh genocide|Bangladesh genocide]] and recommended charges for senior Pakistani officials, were never made public as the report was muzzled by the Bhutto administration under the guise of harming civil-military relations.

==Biography==

===Early life, background, and education===

{{Main|Bengalis|Bengali Muslims}}

Hamoodur Rahman was born in [[Patna]], [[Bihar]], [[British Indian Empire|British India]] on 1 November 1910. Despite being born in Bihar, Rahman hailed from a [[Bengali Muslim]] family.<ref name="Scarecrow Press, Rehman">{{cite book|last1=Rahman|first1=Syedur|title=Historical Dictionary of Bangladesh|publisher=Scarecrow Press, Rehman|isbn=9780810874534|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bJfcCPUr0OoC&q=Hamoodur+rahman+bengali&pg=PA133|access-date=22 August 2016|language=en|chapter-format=google books|chapter=Hamoodur Rehman Commission and the Report|date=27 April 2022}}</ref> Hamoodur Rahman's family practised law before the [[Partition of India]]— his brother, Maudoodur Rahman, was also a barrister who ascended as a Judge of [[Calcutta High Court]].<ref name="Islamabad High Court"/> His father, Khan Bahadur Dr. Dawood ur Rahman was the first Muslim civil surgeon in undivided India to do FRCS form Royal College London. He was the personal surgeon to the Emir of Kuwait.<ref name="Supreme court of Pakistan">{{cite web|last1=Supremecourt|title=Family background of Hameedur Rahman|url=http://www.supremecourt.gov.pk/web/|access-date=6 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080910070018/http://www.supremecourt.gov.pk/web/|archive-date=10 September 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> His father in law, [[Nawabzada Ashraf Ali]] was a [[barrister]] who was a practising advocate in the [[Calcutta High Court]].<ref name="Islamabad High Court"/> Ashraf Ali later participated in [[1930 Indian general election|general elections]] held in 1930 and was a member of [[East Pakistan Legislative Assembly|Bengal Legislative Assembly]].<ref name="Islamabad High Court"/> Ali later served as deputy speaker of the Bengal Legislative Assembly before the Partition of India.<ref name="Islamabad High Court">{{cite web|last1=IHC|title=Family background of Hameedur Rahman|url=http://www.ihc.gov.pk/justice-iqbal-hameed-ur-rehman.html|website=www.ihc.gov.pk/|publisher=Islamabad High Court|access-date=22 August 2016|language=en|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317081357/http://ihc.gov.pk/justice-iqbal-hameed-ur-rehman.html|archive-date=17 March 2015|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Hamoodur Rahman was educated in [[Calcutta]] and entered in [[St. Xavier's College, Calcutta|St. Xavier's College]] of the [[University of Calcutta]] where he secured his graduation in [[Bachelor of Arts|BA]].<ref name="Islamic Book Foundation">{{cite book|last1=Rahman|first1=Hamoodur|title=Reflections on Islam|date=1983|publisher=Islamic Book Foundation|page=277|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uM7XAAAAMAAJ&q=hamoodur+rahman+BA+degree|access-date=20 August 2016|language=en}}</ref> He went to the Great Britain to attend the [[University of London]] where he graduated with the [[Bachelor of Laws|LLB]] degree and resume his studies in [[Gray's Inn]], London, and was called to the Bar in London in 1937.

Upon arriving in [[British India]], Rehman began practising law at the [[Calcutta High Court]] in 1938 and served as the legal councillor of the [[Calcutta Corporation]] in 1940. In 1943, he also presented the [[Mayor of Calcutta]] as its legal councillor, and was a member of the Junior Standing Counsel of the [[East Bengal]] from 1943 to 1947. After the [[independence of Pakistan]], he opted for [[East Pakistan]] and settled in [[Dhaka]] in 1948.<ref name="Islamabad High Court"/> He was the first Legal Advisor State Bank of Pakistan and drafted all the State Bank of Pakistan laws and rules [https://web.archive.org/web/20080910070018/http://www.supremecourt.gov.pk/web/ Supreme Court of Pakistan] He was appointed [[Attorney-General for Pakistan|Advocate-General of East Pakistan]] in 1953, and held it until 1954 when he was appointed to the bench as a judge of the [[Dhaka High Court]] by the [[Governor of East Pakistan]].

===Family===

His son Justice [[Iqbal Hameedur Rahman]] is currently now the [[List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Pakistan|Senior Justice]] of the [[Supreme Court of Pakistan]]. In 2007, his son refused to take an oath under the [[Provisional Constitutional Order]] issued by President [[Pervez Musharraf]] who imposed the [[2007 Pakistani state of emergency|Emergency]] in November 2007. After his restoration in 2009, he resumed hearing cases at the [[Lahore High Court]] and eventually ascended as [[List of Chief Justices of Islamabad High Court|Chief Justice]] of [[Islamabad High Court]] in 2013.<ref>{{cite news |last=Zulfiqar |first=Qaiser |date=5 December 2010 |title=Islamabad High Court: Justice Hameedur Rahman nominated as chief justice |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/86176/islamabad-high-court-justice-hameedur-rahman-nominated-as-chief-justice/ |newspaper=The Express Tribune}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Oath taking: Justice Hameedur Rehman sworn in as SC judge |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/512712/oath-taking-justice-hameedur-rehman-sworn-in-as-sc-judge/ |newspaper=The Express Tribune |date=26 February 2022}}</ref>

==Career as Supreme court justice==

===Supreme Court of Pakistan===

{{Main|History of the Supreme Court of Pakistan|List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Pakistan|Supreme Court of Pakistan}}

Justice Hamoodur Rahman served as a judge of the [[Dhaka High Court]] from 1954 until 1960 when he was appointed as Senior Justice of the [[Supreme Court of Pakistan]] by the [[President of Pakistan]].<ref name="Islamabad High Court" /> In addition, Rahman served as the vice-chancellor of [[Dhaka University]] from 11 May 1958 until 14 December 1960 while serving as visiting professor of law at the [[Karachi University]].<ref name="Islamabad High Court" />

During his career as Senior Justice at the Supreme Court, Rehman held various dignified positions and engaged himself in promoting literacy across the country. From 1959 to 1960, he was a member of [[International Court of Arbitration]] that is based in the [[The Hague|Hague]], Netherlands.<ref name="Islamabad High Court" /> In 1964, Rehman, upon requested by the [[Ministry of Education (Pakistan)|Ministry of Education]] (MoEd), led the "Commission on Students Problems and Welfare" as its chairman where he authored the report and submitted the case study recommendations to the [[Government of Pakistan]] in 1966.<ref name="Manager of Publications">{{cite book|last1=Welfare|first1=Pakistan Commission on Student Problems and|last2=Education|first2=Pakistan Ministry of|title=Commission on Student Problems and Welfare|date=1966|publisher=Manager of Publications|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gTRYAAAAMAAJ&q=Hamoodur+|access-date=22 August 2016|language=en}}</ref> In 1967, he was the member of the "Law Reforms Commission" that conducted the various case studies on [[Agriculture in Pakistan|land reforms]] in Pakistan on behalf of [[Ministry of Law (Pakistan)|Ministry of Law]] (MoL)– its report was submitted in 1970 to the President of Pakistan.<ref name="Manager of Publications, Law reforms">{{cite book|last1=Commission|first1=Pakistan Law Reform|last2=Rahman|first2=Hamoodur|last3=Division|first3=Pakistan Law|title=Report, 1967–70:Law Reform Commission|date=1970|publisher=Manager of Publications, Law reforms|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KChYAAAAMAAJ&q=Hamoodur+Rahman|access-date=22 August 2016|language=en}}</ref>

===Chief Justice of Pakistan===

{{Main|Chief Justice of Pakistan}}

In 1968, Senior Justice Hamoodur Rehman was nominated as [[Chief Justice of Pakistan|Chief Justice]] by outgoing Chief Justice [[Alvin Robert Cornelius]]; his appointment as Chief Justice was approved by President [[Ayub Khan (Field Marshal)|Ayub Khan]].<ref name="Martinus Nijhoff Publishers"/> His tenure witnessed the resignation of President Ayub Khan who invited [[Yahya Khan]] to take over the country through enforcing the [[Martial law in Pakistan|martial law]] in 1969. He heard the petition filed by Asma Jillani against Yahya Khan's takeover in case known as "''Asma Jillani vs. Government of the Punjab.''"<ref name="Martinus Nijhoff Publishers"/> Upon hearing the case, Hamoodur Rahman court retroactively invalidated the martial law that suspended the [[Constitution of Pakistan of 1962|Constitution]] and notably ruled that Yahya Khan's assumption of power was "illegal usurpation".<ref name="Martinus Nijhoff Publishers">{{cite book|last1=Omar|first1=Imtiaz|title=Emergency Powers and the Courts in India and Pakistan|publisher=Martinus Nijhoff Publishers|isbn=904111775X|pages=59–60|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o6-wZP7Tz8YC&q=hamoodur+rehman+chief+justice&pg=PA60|access-date=22 August 2016|language=en|chapter-format=google books|chapter=Extra-Constitutional Emergency Powers: Martial Law|date=28 March 2022}}</ref> The Supreme Court also over-ruled and overturned its convictions that called for validation of [[1958 Pakistani coup d'état|martial law]] in 1958.<ref name="Martinus Nijhoff Publishers"/>

Chief Justice Hamoodur Rehman carefully distinguish the meaning of martial law in terms of controlling the internal disorder and imposing the martial law in alien territory.<ref name="Martinus Nijhoff Publishers"/> His stance stood firm against Yahya Khan's martial law but condone such actions by the application of [[doctrine of necessity]].<ref name="Cambridge University Press">{{cite book|last1=Newberg|first1=Paula R.|title=Judging the State|date=1995|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=London [u.k]|isbn=0521452899|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PbSeGQO3xdsC&q=hamoodur+rahman+1960&pg=PA240|access-date=22 August 2022}}</ref> In 1970, he supported the [[Election Commission of Pakistan]] to hold the [[1970 Pakistani general election|general elections]] held in 1970 across the country.<ref name="Oxford University Press">{{cite book |last1=Patel |first1=Dorab |date=2000 |title=Testament of a liberal |location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0195791975}}</ref>

===Bangladesh and 1971 war===

{{Main|Bangladesh Liberation War|Indo-Pakistani war of 1971}}

Hamoodur Rahman, remained loyal to Pakistan during the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]] and the [[Indo-Pakistani war of 1971|war]] with India in 1971.<ref name="Scarecrow Press, Rehman" /><ref name="Routledge, Dixit">{{cite book|last1=Dixit|first1=J. N.|title=India-Pakistan in War and Peace|date=2 September 2003|publisher=Routledge, Dixit|isbn=1134407572|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bOiBAgAAQBAJ&q=hamoodur+rehman+chief+justice+1971&pg=PT301|access-date=22 August 2016|language=en}}</ref> He did not supported the [[independence of Bangladesh]] and remained quiet throughout the events.<ref name="Routledge, Dixit"/> He administrated the oath of [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto]] as [[President of Pakistan]] in 1971 at the [[Supreme Court of Pakistan Building|Supreme Court building]].<ref name="Govt. of Pakistan, Directorate General of Films and Publications, Ministry of Information and Media Development">{{cite book |last1=Pakistan Directorate General of Films and Publication |title=Pakistan chronology, 1947–1997: with prologue and afterword |publisher=Government of Pakistan, Directorate General of Films and Publications, Ministry of Information and Media Development |pages=369–380}}</ref>

==After the war==

In 1972–73, he went onto work with the [[United Nations]] and was a member of the [[United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice|Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice]].<ref name="Islamabad High Court" /> Chief Justice Justice Hamoodur Rahman retired with state honours in 1975 and administrated the oath to appoint Senior Justice [[Muhammad Yaqub Ali]] as Chief Justice.

In 1974, he was the chairman of the [[Council of Islamic Ideology]] (CII) until retiring in 1977.<ref name="Islamabad High Court" />

==War Enquiry Commission==

{{Main|Hamoodur Rahman Commission}}

In 1971, President [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto|Zulfikar Bhutto]] constituted a commission to investigate the [[:Category:Causes and prelude of the Bangladesh Liberation War|responsibility causes]] of the [[Indo-Pakistani war of 1971|war with India]] that led the [[Bangladesh Liberation War|liberation]] of [[East Pakistan]] and to provide insightful recommendations to prevent future armed [[Foreign interventionism|foreign intervention]].<ref name="auto"/><ref name="US Institute of Peace Press">{{cite book|last1=Schaffer|first1=Howard B.|last2=Schaffer|first2=Teresita C.|title=How Pakistan Negotiates with the United States: Riding the Roller Coaster|year=2011|publisher=US Institute of Peace Press|isbn=9781601270757|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=axT9i-FhO0UC&q=hamoodur+rehman+chief+justice+1971&pg=PA63|language=en}}</ref> The commission, known as War Enquiry Commission (or otherwise known as [[Hamoodur Rahman Commission]]), was led by Chief Justice Hamoodur Rehman as its chairman and consisted of both civilian and military members.<ref name="US Institute of Peace Press"/>

Initially, Chief Justice Rahman was tasked to investigate the causes and the break-up of Pakistan, and role of the Pakistan Armed Forces in the [[Politics of Pakistan|national politics]].<ref name="US Institute of Peace Press"/> His report revealed many aspects of politics in Pakistan Armed Forces during the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971|East-Pakistan war]].<ref name="AuthorHouse">{{cite book|last1=Baig|first1=Muhammad Anwar; Ebad|title=Pakistan: Time for Change|date=20 December 2012|publisher=AuthorHouse|isbn=9781477250310|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H_A5-RABah4C&q=hamoodur+rehman+chief+justice+1971&pg=PA44|access-date=22 August 2016|language=en}}</ref> Because of the nature of the findings, it was not declassified for decades until Indian newspapers, later Pakistani newspapers, published the details.<ref name="Routledge, Dixit"/>

===Fact finding and recommendations===

From 1971 until 1975, the Commission led by Rahman conducted several interviews of [[Pakistan Armed Forces|Pakistan military]]'s senior officers, bureaucrats, politicians, activists, and the Bengali nationalists.<ref name="US Institute of Peace Press" /> Criticism on the [[Government of Pakistan|government]] and misconduct of civilian politicians were very heavy and intense, therefore, the [[Hamoodur Rahman Commission Report|Report]] was never made it [[Public domain|public]] in Pakistan and concealed all of its information as the report was marked as "Top secret".<ref name="US Institute of Peace Press" />

The report explores a number of issues such as, [[1971 Bangladesh genocide|genocide of the Bengali populace]]—both civilians and Bengali soldiers—[[Rape during the Bangladesh Liberation War|rape]], pan smuggling, looting of banks in [[East Pakistan]], drunkenness by military officers, even an instance of a [[One-star rank|one star]] rank officer "entertaining" women while their troops were being shelled by Indian troops.<ref name="Brookings Institution Press">{{cite book |last1=Cohen |first1=Stephen P. |author-link=Stephen P. Cohen |year=2004 |title=The Idea of Pakistan |url=https://archive.org/details/ideaofpakistan00cohe |url-access=registration |publisher=Brookings Institution Press |language=en |page=[https://archive.org/details/ideaofpakistan00cohe/page/78 78] |isbn=0-8157-9761-3 |access-date=22 August 2022}}</ref><ref name="The Hamood-ur-Rahman Commission Report">{{cite web|title=The Hamood-ur-Rahman Commission Report|url=http://storyofpakistan.com/the-hamood-ur-rahman-commission-report|website=storyofpakistan.com|access-date=22 August 2016|date=1 June 2022}}</ref> The Report recommended a string of [[court martial|courts-martial]] and military trials against the top senior military officers including the [[Pakistan Air Force|PAF]]'s [[Air Marshal]] Enamul Haq (the [[Air Officer Commanding|AOC]] of [[Evolution of Pakistan Eastern Command plan|Eastern Air Command]] of Pakistan Air Force), [[Vice-Admiral]] [[Mohammad Shariff]] ([[Commander-in-Chief Fleet|Fleet Commander]] of the [[Evolution of Pakistan Eastern Command plan|Eastern Naval Command]] of Pakistan Navy), and [[Lieutenant-General]] [[Tikka Khan]] (the [[General Officer Commanding|GOC]] of [[Evolution of Pakistan Eastern Command plan|Eastern Army Command]] of Pakistan Army), and former generals such as [[Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi|Amir Khan Niazi]] and [[Rao Farman Ali]].<ref name="The Hamood-ur-Rahman Commission Report"/>

Despite recommending field [[court martial|courts-martial]] by the commission, there were no actions taken by Prime Minister [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto|Bhutto]] or the successive governments.<ref name="The Hamood-ur-Rahman Commission Report"/> Nearly 300 individuals were interviewed and hundreds of classified armed forces [[Morse code|military signals]] were examined, with the final comprehensive [[Hamoodur Rahman Commission Report|Report]] was submitted on 23 October 1974 by Chief Justice Hamoodur Rahman who submitted the report to Prime minister Secretariat.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}

===Rehman on "Separation"===

Originally, the commission was to overlook the military failure to prevent the [[Breakup of East and West Pakistan|break–up]] of [[Eastern Pakistan]] but Chief Justice Rahman went into great depths in the roots of matter since the [[independence of Pakistan]] in 1947. A separate chapter on the [[political history of Pakistan]] was very detailed oriented and written by Chief Justice Rahman who critically opined on the political role of [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto|Zulfikar Bhutto]]. Rahman critically opined on Bhutto and, with some degree, implicated Bhutto of manipulating President [[Yahya Khan]] to take the military action as a solution.

He noted that President [[Yahya Khan]] failed to seek a sincere political settlement with [[East Pakistan]].<ref name="The Hamood-ur-Rahman Commission Report" /> Though the responsibility of the debacle lay on the shoulders of the people in power then as was recommended in the report by Chief Justice Rahman.<ref name="Brookings Institution Press" />

When the report was submitted the then Prime Minister Bhutto, the Prime minister wrote to the chairman War Enquiry Commission Chief Justice Hamoodur Rahman, that the commission has exceeded its limits. The commission was appointed to look into the military "aspect of debacle", not the aspect of political failure; therefore, Bhutto classified the publications of the commission and marked its report as "[[Top Secret]]".{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}

===Fate of the Report===

{{Main|Hamoodur Rahman Commission Report}}

In 1974, the final [[Hamoodur Rahman Commission Report|Report]] was submitted, but both Bhutto and President [[Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq|Zia-ul-Haq]] claimed that the report was lost and was nowhere to be located in the [[National Archives of Pakistan]].<ref name="Yale University Press, Jones">{{cite book|last1=Jones|first1=Owen Bennett|title=Pakistan: Eye of the Storm|year=2002|publisher=Yale University Press, Jones|isbn=0300101473|url=https://archive.org/details/pakistaneyeofsto00benn|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/pakistaneyeofsto00benn/page/300 300]|quote=hamoodur rahman commission.|access-date=22 August 2016|language=en}}</ref>

In the 1990s, it was revealed through [[investigative journalism]] by [[The News International|''News International'']] that the [[Hamoodur Rahman Commission Report|Report]] was suppressed and was held secretly at the [[JS HQ (Pakistan)|Joint staff HQ]] in [[Rawalpindi]].<ref name="Lancer Publishers, Bhatt">{{cite book|last1=Bhatt|first1=Dr Arunkumar|title=Psychological Warfare and India|date=16 March 2015|publisher=Lancer Publishers, Bhatt|isbn=9788170621331|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1whOBwAAQBAJ&q=hamoodur+Rahman+commission&pg=PA288|access-date=22 August 2016|language=en}}</ref> In 2000, portion of the [[Hamoodur Rahman Commission Report|Report]] was leaked equally by the ''[[India Today]]'' and the [[Dawn (newspaper)|''Dawn'']].<ref name="Lancer Publishers, Bhatt"/> However, the ''[[India Today]]'' wilfully suppressed its own publications as if the surrender was its own scandal.<ref name="Lancer Publishers, Bhatt"/>

==Death and legacy==

Hamoodur Rahman lived a very quiet life in [[Lahore]] and remained active in the [[Supreme Court of Pakistan]]. He was appointed the Chairman of Islamic Ideology after his retirement for 3 years, later he was appointed as an advisor to the [[President of Pakistan]] on constitutional affairs. He also conducted a commission on election reforms and proposed the proportional representation system existing in Germany, Sri Lanka and many other countries. In which it can be accessed via the [[Supreme Court of Pakistan library|library]] to publish judicial supplements. He died in Lahore due to a [[Heart attack|cardiac arrest]] on 20 December 1981. He was buried in Lahore with close judicial associates and friends attending his funeral.<ref name="All-Pakistan Legal Decisions">{{cite book |date=1984 |title=The All-Pakistan Legal Decisions |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ki0-AQAAIAAJ&q=hamoodur+rahman+BA+degree |publisher=All-Pakistan Legal Decisions |access-date=20 August 2022}}</ref>

Chief Justice Rahman remained very respected in [[Court system of Pakistan|Pakistan's judiciary]] even after his death, and is hailed for his [[honesty]] and [[Pakistani nationalism|patriotism]] that Senior Justice [[Khalil-ur-Rehman Ramday]] once publicly noted that "his Commission was the most honorable commission that was investigated by a Bengali Chief Justice, in spite of East-Pakistan disaster", in 2010.<ref name="Lahore Bar Association"/>

==See also==

* [[List of Pakistanis]]
* [[Chief Justice of Pakistan]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://img.dunyanews.tv/images/docss/hamoodur_rahman_commission_report.pdf The complete Hamoodur Rahman Report]
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000817021709/http://www.dawn.com/2000/text/top4.htm |date=17 August 2000 |title=Dawn newspaper on the Report }}

{{Chief Justices of Pakistan}}
{{1971 Indo-Pak War}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rahman, Hamoodur}}
[[Category:1910 births]]
[[Category:1981 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Islamabad]]
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Hamoodur Rahman - Revision history

Bot at 19:02, 1 December 2022