JUSTICE Md Habibur Rahman passed away on 30th November 1998. He was 70. He was the youngest of four children born to Mr and Mrs Md Fazlur Rahman of Rajshahi.

Justice Rahman was a former civil servant of Pakistan. He topped the list in the provincial civil service examination of the then East Pakistan and was the first amongst the candidates from then East Pakistan in the civil service examinations of the then central government of Pakistan. He went on to serve his country in significant positions in both the civil service and the judiciary. This outstanding judge was selected as the first civil servant to serve in the High Court of the then East Pakistan. He upheld the dignity of his office as long as he lived and remains and example to all in the judiciary. Erudite and upright, he was at heart a person of intense piety.

He was a man of great conviction who believed in clean living. He was always a perfect gentleman. His honesty, integrity and deep understanding of the law played a very important role in establishing the independence and integrity of the judiciary in Bangladesh, where he served for many years as a judge of the Supreme Court. Because of his extreme humility, he never

made himself conspicuous at any stage of his career. He never knew the meaning of vanity or false pretensions of pride. He had a child-like innocence and a love for truth and justice which is unique in this cynical

age of ours. In the worlds of the President of Bangladesh. Mr Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed, 'he was a man of strict principle who upheld the dignity of the

An important dimension of Justice Rahman's contribution to the nation is little known. He was one of those rare and dedicated people who always

thought of the good of the nation. sincerely and selflessly. He gave advice to our leaders at critical times in the history of our nation, on how to preserve the sanctity of our homeland. He did so without any regard to political affiliation or personal interest or advancement. Never in his years of service did he allow any selfish concerns to cloud his judgement or opinion on what was the right thing to do for the nation or the situation at hand. His wisdom, knowledge, honesty, humility, love and kindness touched many people. He continued to help others to his last days, never once expecting anything in return.

Justice Rahman is survived by his lawyer wife Mrs Shamim Rahman, daughter of late Dr Mumtazuddin Ahmed, ex-vice chancellor of Rajshaiii University. and five children.

Justice Rahman's greatest gift to the many that he touched and especially to his children, was tq teach them to always be very humble and simple, to constantly seek knowledge, and adhere to the basic values of our society and faith through all of the tests of life. He succeeded in doing this never through insistence or lecture, but always through examples of humility and kindness, preaching tolerance and sharing with others his deep knowledge on all aspects of life.