Muhammad Rafiq Tarar

Who is Muhammad Rafiq Tarar?

Muhammad Rafiq Tarar English IPA:rəfɪ̈kʰ ʔɑrɹ, is a retired associate judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and senior jurist who served as the ninth President of Pakistan from January 1, 1998 until voluntarily resigning from the presidency in the favor of General Pervez Musharraf on June 20, 2001.

A professional legislator and jurist, Tarar was a prominent activist for the Pakistan Movement, performing voluntary duty as a relief worker in camps set up by Liaquat Ali Khan for refugees, migrating from India to Pakistan. Educated and graduated from the Punjab University's law college, Tarar elevated as 28th Chief Justice of Lahore High Court, appointed and nominated by Benazir Bhutto in 1989, and was a senior associate judge at the Supreme Court of Pakistan, subsequently retiring from the judicial authority in March 1997. Following the resignation of Farooq Leghari, Tarar was nominated as the presidential candidate by the prime minister Nawaz Sharif due to his lack of interest in national politics, and wide interests in enhancing the constitutional democracy in the country.

President Tarar was merely a constitutional and ceremonial figure, while the executive powers laid under the control of Prime minister. Tarar is the only president to have come from the judiciary of Pakistan and has also the distinction of having secured an all-time high number of votes from an electoral college, consisting of a total votes of Pakistan Parliament and the four Provincial Legislatures, making him the only president who received overwhelming support from the elected representatives of the people of Pakistan. President Tarar was upset by the military coup d'état to remove the elected prime minister Nawaz Sharif. He voluntarily resigned from the presidency in favor of General Pervez Musharraf on June 20, 2001.