The man who lived life to the fullest

Dr Muhammad Zahir

Can you recall a tall, well-dressed and fine-looking lawyer with grey hair and a polished accent, who was often seen on TV blithely discoursing on current affairs in his characteristic thundering voice?

I am referring to the late Dr Muhammad Zahir, a jurist renowned for his constitutional and corporate expertise, who died on July 11 four years ago.

Dr Zahir does not need introduction anew, yet the occasion warrants a few words about his colourful legal career. He started his career in 1962 at Dhaka High Court, having achieved a BA (Hons) and an MA in English and an LLB from Dhaka University. He became a member of the English Bar in 1965, and the next year he obtained a PhD from the University of London in Company Law. 

Later in the '70s, he was a familiar figure in the Australian Attorney General's Department, where he was involved in drafting securities law of Australia. He was called to the Australian Bar in 1974 in Canberra, and was enrolled as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory and the Federal Courts of Australia. Later he became a member of the Court of Arbitration at the International Chamber of Commerce at Paris. 

Between his obligations abroad, he continued his legal practice here in the Supreme Court. He served as member and convener of several Company Law Reform Committees in Bangladesh. He taught company law at the University of Dhaka for 20 years. His book titled "Company and Securities Laws" features comprehensive commentaries on the subjects and is widely read.

An authority on constitutional issues, his views on matters of national importance were dearly valued in times of crisis. He was a quintessence of objectivity, with no penchant for any political dogma. His buoyant personality and eloquent arguments in court enthralled the lawyers and the judges alike. He instilled humour in a vocation generally regarded as dry and humdrum. His charisma and wit were bound to enchant the coterie around him.

Four years into his departure, he may be fading into oblivion to many. Life's rigours have perhaps made us dispassionate and somewhat apathetic to the memory of a deceased, no matter how well-loved he was.

But we at Dr Zahir & Associates will fondly remember him for the rest of our lives. He was an epitome of affection for us. The support and warmth we received from him early in our careers were extraordinary. He taught us diligence, integrity and self-respect. He was a kind and compassionate man who loved music and poetry. He played piano and guitar and sang English and Urdu songs from bygone days, and took pride in the fact that he played with Mohammad Rafi, the legendary Indian playback singer. 

He was also a tennis enthusiast, and such was his passion for tennis that once he proclaimed that both the courts, the High Court and the tennis court, were equally appealing to him. One could not help noticing that he was living his life to the fullest.

It is a pity that he had to leave so early. His demise created a vacuum in the province of law, never to be filled again. Years will go by, but he will be in our hearts forever. May he rest in peace for eternity.