Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, MoF (Urdu: اِفتِخارمُحَمّد چودهرى), (born 12 December 1948), is the 18th and the incumbent Chief Justice of Pakistan, having been nominated by former President General Pervez Musharraf on 30 June 2005, prior to his suspension on 3 November 2007.
Hailing from Quetta, Balochistan Province of Pakistan, Chaudhry was educated at the Sindh University and beginning the practice as an advocate from the Sindh High Court in 1976, and ascended as a senior advocate at Supreme Court before taking a government law assignment in Quetta. In 1990, after being appointed as an additional judge at the Balochistan High Court by then-President Ghulam Ishaq Khan, Chaudhry secured the nomination of Chief justice of Balochistan High Court by the President Rafiq Tarar, in 1999. The same year, he controversially took oath under chairman joint chiefs general Musharraf, validating the LFO ordnance No. 2002, and ascended to the Supreme court in 2002. On 30 June 2005, President Musharraf approved the appointment of Chaudhry as chief justice, and refused to resign despite the pressure exerted by Musharraf, therefore leading to his suspension on 3 November 2007. The news of his suspension sparked the greater unrest, civil opinion, distressful economical situation, and the authoritarian actions decided the departure of Musharraf as chief of army staff in 2007, and ousted from the country in 2009. Released by the orders of Prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani, the ban of restoration remain intact by the upcoming president Asif Zardari who also faced a massive public resentment and demonstration against him in entire country. Finally on 22 March 2009, Chaudhry was reinstated among with several other senior justices and judges.
His notable rulings including the suo motu notice of controversial privatization of the Pakistan Steel Mills, leading the case of missing persons in Balochistan, arguing and issuing orders against the New Murree project regarding as environmental catastrophe, ruling the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) as unconstitutional and irrelevant. Recently, after proceeding the notice of contempt against the Prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani who forcefully refusing to direct a letter to Swiss authorities over President's hidden assets in Swiss Banks, Chaudry retroactively discharged and ousted Gillani and his government on April 26, 2012.
Read more about Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry: Early Life and Family, Career in Law, Oath Taking Under PCO 1999, Suspension and Reinstatement, 2007, 2007 State of Emergency, Reinstatement, 2008–09, Awards and Honors