LONDON: British-Pakistani barrister Fahrid Chishty has been awarded a highly prestigious legal scholarship by the Inns of Court in London.
This is the first time in the history of the programme that a Pegasus Scholar has been appointed to Pakistan, which marks a milestone moment.
The Pegasus Scholarship was developed under the auspices of Lord Goff of Chieveley in 1987 and is considered a highly prestigious award at the English Bar. It is granted annually to a small number of gifted junior barristers who are deemed future leaders of the legal profession.
The grant allows scholars the opportunity to travel overseas to observe the operation of the Common Law in different jurisdictions and build enduring links with fellow practitioners abroad.
Fahrid told Geo News that he will be travelling to Pakistan later this year to work with members of the legal fraternity and judiciary in connection with various criminal justice projects.
Fahrid said he is particularly interested in the question of criminal justice reform and will have the opportunity to study and review a raft of relevant domestic procedural and statutory laws. This will include matters ranging from the rules of evidence during the trial to sentencing policy and procedure.
He will also exchange views on Artificial Intelligence (AI), case management technologies and forensic evidence with his Pakistani equivalents in a bid to increase reciprocal, bilateral learning between the two countries’ respective legal professions.
Fahrid was called to the Bar in 2019 and practises from Libertas Chambers in London, specialising in criminal, constitutional, regulatory and international law.
He said he was honoured and deeply privileged to have been selected for this prize and looks forward to the opportunity to learn from colleagues and seniors in Pakistan.
He said: “Pakistan is a place close to my heart. My paternal grandparents hail from inner Lahore and my maternal family has their origins in Serai Saleh, Hazara. It would be an immense honour to be able to contribute back to the land of his forefathers in his capacity as an English-trained barrister and jurist.”
Fahrid’s father Makhdoom Chishti was a Commander with the Metropolitan Police Service at New Scotland Yard and became the highest-ranking Muslim police officer in the UK. He was awarded the Queens Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 2010 and later received the Sitar-i-Imitiaz from the President of Pakistan in 2018.
Makhdoom Chishti led Scotland Yard’s response against terrorism at a time when London and the UK faced serious terror threats during the ‘war on terror.’
The deaths of four Pakistanis in a boat capsizing event close to the southern Greek island of Goudos have been verified by the Foreign Office.
The incident happened on Sunday and at least five illegal immigrants drowned as a result. According to Greek Coast Guards, 39 people were rescued after the wooden boat overturned, but 40 more are still unaccounted for.
According to a Foreign Office spokeswoman, the four Pakistani nationals were among those killed in the catastrophe. In order to help the remaining Pakistanis and repatriate the corpses of the deceased, the Pakistani Embassy in Athens has been in close communication with Greek authorities, she said.
Additional information was given by Aamir Aftab Qureshi, Pakistan’s ambassador to Greece, during a press conference. According to him, there were 80 Pakistanis on board the doomed boat, and efforts are still being made to find the people who are still missing.
He added that the overcrowding on the boat was a factor in the capsizing. There are worries over the safety of the missing people because a sizable portion of them are children. He stated that five boats carrying Pakistani nationals were traveling illegally from Libya.
The public was also informed by Ambassador Qureshi that the government will pay for the return flight of the accident victims’ bodies.
Approximately 450 Pakistanis, including 250 Zaireen, have successfully crossed into Lebanon from Syria, according to the spokesperson for the Foreign Office, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch.
During her weekly briefing at the foreign office in Islamabad, she stated that Pakistan is pleased with the resolution passed by the United Nations General Assembly on the Gaza Strip, which calls for an immediate ceasefire.
In addition, she expressed her satisfaction with the elimination of limits placed on UNRWA’s ability to carry out relief activities in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
It was stated by her that Pakistan is demanding an immediate cessation of hostilities in Palestine, an end to the genocide that is taking place in Gaza, the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, unrestricted access to humanitarian aid for those who are in urgent need, full support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and its mandated humanitarian activities, and medical assistance for those who are in urgent need.
Moreover, she stated that Pakistan emphasises the need for the international community to hold Israel accountable for the war crimes and crimes against humanity that it has committed in occupied lands.
The Israeli aggression against Syria, the illegitimate acquisition of Syrian territory, and the massive devastation of Syrian infrastructure as well as civilian and military sites are all topics that Pakistan is extremely worried about, according to the spokesperson for Pakistan.
According to her, this attack on Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is a serious violation of international law to the highest degree. By expressing our support for Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, we are also expressing our opposition to the Israeli government’s attempt to acquire territory through coercion.
The resolution 497 of the United Nations Security Council, which declares the annexation of the Golan Heights by Israel to be null and illegal and to have no international legal impact, was reaffirmed by her organisation.