He defied a military dictator, sacked a prime minister, and persistently sought to call generals and intelligence chiefs to account.
He became a symbol of hope for an impoverished multitude, seeking to assert their rights in a land where these are frequently ignored and abused.
He was one of his country's best-known figures who was seen — though not usually heard — on his nation's television screens as frequently as celebrity actors and cricket stars.
For any judge, in any land, this is an improbable record. In Pakistan, where for much of its history the judiciary was a puppet of the executive, it is remarkable.
Pakistan's Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry has just retired after a tenure that is threaded through with contradictions, missteps and controversies — but that changed the balance of power in his turbulent nation.
He exited in thunderous style, delivering a farewell speech Wednesday before the Supreme Court, in which he urged his fellow judges to defend the judiciary's independence — and issued a somber warning to his 180 million fellow Pakistanis.
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