KARACHI, March 27: Retired Justice Abdul Kadir Shaikh’s death here on Thursday at the age of 82 brings to an end a long but low-key judicial career.

Born at Pano Aqil in 1926, he joined the legal profession at a rather early age of 19.

He worked as assistant public prosecutor at Sukkur before shifting to Karachi to serve as assistant and additional advocate-general. He was elevated to the then West Pakistan High Court in mid-1960s.

He was chief justice of the Sindh High Court at the time of imposition of martial law in 1977 and was made acting provincial governor like chief justices of other high courts. As a high court judge, he issued a suo motu notice in the Mustafa Zaidi murder case when investigations were stalled and the press was coming up with scandalous stories.

The Supreme Court set aside the notice holding that the court’s role in a criminal case begins after completion of investigations and submission of a challan. He retired from the Supreme Court in 1994.

Devoid of pomp and circumstance, Justice Shaikh quietly carried on his work as chairman of the authority for preservation of Moenjodaro and board of governors of the Karachi Grammar School. He leaves two daughters and a son. His wife died about 10 years ago.