Chief Justice of Pakistan Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, Attorney General for Pakistan Anwar Mansoor, Vice-Chairman Pakistan Bar Council Syed Amjad Shah and President Supreme Court Bar Association Amanullah Kanrani spoke on the occasion. The Chief Justice said Justice Shaikh Azmat had been an "enormous asset" to the superior judiciary throughout his time on the bench and he had always benefitted from his intellect and rich experience. "Sheikh Sahib has always carried with him all aspects of proper judicial conduct, be it fairness, open-mindedness, courage, firmness, punctuality, courtesy, understanding and compassion."
"Sheikh Sahib's ability to grasp and comprehend complex points in a matter of seconds and his lordship's skill of reducing intricate and complicated points of law to simple propositions are only a few of his many qualities that make Sheikh Sahib such an excellent Judge," said the Chief Justice.
The CJP further said: "Sheikh Sahib's capacity to understand a proposition with the speed of light, his razor-sharp wit and a penetrating but endearing sense of humour have been found by me to be indomitable features of his personality." Justice Azmat thanked all the speakers and the lawyers and said; "No doubt, institutions are peopled with individuals but no individual is bigger or more important than the institution. No one is indispensable nor am I.
"I am equally confident that my brother judges will never lose sight of the fact that our legal system has evolved and developed brick by brick, judgment by judgment. This legal journey will go on and will not be short-circuited through short-cuts.
"I am also confident that my brother judges are aware that divergence of opinion in respect of the understanding but not misunderstanding of the law is a blessing to be celebrated. My brother judges are also fully cognizant of the difference between "judicial individualism" and "judicial anarchy".
"My brother judges are also conscious that the practicing advocates are an integral and essential part of our legal system and any effort to delete or dilute their role will disfigure the legal system beyond recognition.
Justice Sh Azmat was born on the 28th August, 1954 at Rawalpindi. He did his Senior Cambridge from St Mary's Academy in 1970 and graduated from Sir Syed College, Rawalpindi in 1974. He then joined the Punjab University Law College, Lahore and obtained LLB degree in 1978.
After working in various law chambers he started independent legal practice in Lahore in 1980, and was enrolled as an advocate of the Lahore High Court in 1981 and was subsequently enrolled as an advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. He was appointed as an additional judge of the Lahore High Court on the 1st December 2004 and on confirmation took oath as a judge of the Lahore High Court on 1st December 2005.
Justice Azmat was appointed as the chief justice of Lahore High Court in 2011 and was finally appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on the 1st of June 2012. Between 31st July and 3rd August, 2019 Sheikh had the singular distinction of acting as the chief justice of Pakistan.