Mohammad Afzal Cheema facts for kids

Justice Mohammad Afzal Cheema (Urdu: محمد افضل چیمہ; born January 1, 1913 – died August 4, 2008) was a famous Pakistani politician and judge. He was special because he held top jobs in all three main parts of the government: the executive (like the President), the legislative (like the Parliament), and the judiciary (like the courts).

Justice Cheema served as the acting President of Pakistan. He was also a judge in the High Court and later in the Supreme Court of Pakistan. He became the Senior Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan. He also worked as the Federal Law Secretary and was the Chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology. Many people see him as a very important person from the Cheema family.

Early Life and Education

Justice Cheema was born in 1913 in a small village called Kathore Kalan. This village is near Gojra in Toba Tek Singh. He finished college at Islamia College in 1932. After that, he earned his master's degree in English from the University of the Punjab in 1934.

Later, he had to go back to his village. This was because his father, who was the village head, passed away suddenly. Justice Cheema then helped manage his family's and the village's affairs. In 1945, he decided to study law. He got his law degree in 1947. After that, he started working as a lawyer in Lyallpur, which is now known as Faisalabad.

Helping Create Pakistan

Justice Cheema played an important part in the movement to create Pakistan. He strongly supported Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who was the founder of Pakistan. He was also at a big meeting in Lahore on March 23, 1940. This meeting was very important for the idea of Pakistan.

He met with the national poet Allama Iqbal several times. He also had good relationships with many Muslim leaders from the Indian subcontinent. These leaders included Mohammad Ali Bogra, Feroz Khan Noon, and Molvi Tamizuddin Khan.

Political Career

In 1951, Justice Cheema was chosen to be a member of the West Pakistan Legislative Assembly. Later, he became the Deputy Opposition Leader. In 1962, he became a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan for Toba Tek Singh. This area was the largest voting area in the country at that time.

He was then elected as the Senior Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan. He won this election by just one vote against the government's candidate. During his time as Senior Deputy Speaker, he often acted as the Speaker of the National Assembly. This was because the main Speaker, Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan, was ill, and Fazul ul Qadir was not there.

Justice Cheema is the only Speaker of the National Assembly who used his Casting vote twice. A casting vote is a special vote the Speaker uses to break a tie. He voted once for the government and once for the opposition. He also served as the Acting President of Pakistan more than three times. This happened when Field Marshal Ayub Khan was not in the country.

Judicial Career

Besides his political work, Justice Cheema also had a career as a judge. He served as a Judge of the West Pakistan High Court. He also worked as the Federal Law Secretary. In this role, he led the team that wrote Pakistan's first full and detailed constitution. This is now known as the 1973 Constitution.

Later, he became a judge in the Supreme Court. He retired as the Senior Most Judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

Council of Islamic Ideology

After he retired from the Supreme Court, Justice Cheema became the full-time Chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology. This council's job was to help change parts of Pakistan's common laws into Sharia Laws, which are based on Islamic principles.

International Work

United Nations

Justice Cheema led Pakistan's group at the United Nations annual conference two times. He also represented Pakistan at a yearly meeting for lawmakers in Caracas, Venezuela. He was the leader of the Pakistani group there.

Muslim World League

Justice Cheema worked for the Muslim World League (MWL) for over 15 years. The MWL is a global Muslim organization that works with the UN and OIC. He was the Secretary General for its Asian Branch. His work at the MWL included helping people in need and solving problems for Muslims, especially in Asia.

Some of his main achievements were:

• Helping to open the first Islamic Centre in Xinjiang, China. This was the largest Islamic Centre in Asia.
• Working to help Pakistanis who were stuck in Bangladesh, often called Biharis, return home.
• Helping to bring back Islamic values and religion in different Asian countries.
• Successfully helping different groups in Afghanistan find peaceful solutions.

Honours

Justice Cheema received the Highest Civil Award from South Korea. President Roh Tae-woo gave him this award. He got it for his efforts to bring Pakistan and South Korea closer. He helped set up diplomatic relations and create the Pak-Korea Friendship Association.

Timeline

• Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the West Pakistan Legislative Assembly: 1951-1955
• Senior Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly: 1962-1965
• Acting President of Pakistan: More than three times, 1962-1965
• Judge of the West Pakistan/Lahore High Court: 1965-1973
• Federal Law Secretary: 1973-1975
• Judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan: 1975-1979
• Chairman Council of Islamic Ideology: 1977-1980
• Secretary General of Muslim World League Asian Branch: 1980-2000