ISLAMABAD/LAHORE   – President Dr Arif Alvi Friday appointed Justice Ayesha Malik as judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

Justice Ayesha is the first female judge elevated to the Supreme Court and it is an important step towards improving gender diversity in the judiciary.

She holds a degree of Master in Laws (LLM) from the Harvard Law School, USA.

A notification issued by the Secretary Ministry of Law and Justice on Friday said; “President is pleased to appoint Justice Ayesha A Malik, a judge of Lahore High Court as the judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.”

The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) on January 6, 2022 with the majority of 5 to 4 had recommended the elevation of Justice Ayesha Malik to the apex court, while the Parliamentary Committee (PC) on Judges Appointment a day ago approved her appointment.

US energy chief visits Mexico to discuss reform proposal

Justice Ayesha is the first female judge to sit in the Supreme Court. She became the judge of LHC in March 2012 and was number four on the high court judges’ seniority list. She will work as a Supreme Court judge until June 2031. She will also become Chief Justice of Pakistan after the retirement of Justice Yahya Afridi in January 2030.

Before her appointment as a judge of the Lahore High Court, Justice Ayesha taught law as a lecturer of Banking Law at the University of Punjab and a lecturer of Mercantile Law at the College of Accounting & Management Sciences in Karachi. Her legal portfolio includes appearances before the High Courts, District Courts, Banking Courts, Special Tribunals, and Arbitration Tribunals. At one point, she was called upon as expert witness in family law cases conducted in England and Australia involving issues of child custody, divorce, women rights, and constitutional protection for women in Pakistan.

Google Doodle honours Perween Rahman on 65th birth anniversary

LHC judges pay farewell ceremony to Justice Ayesha A Malik

Meanwhile, a farewell ceremony was held on Friday at the Lahore High Court (LHC) in the honour of Justice Ayesha A Malik on her elevation as a Supreme Court judge.

The ceremony was held at the LHC’s Judges Lounge, wherein LHC Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti, Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan, Justice Shujaat Ali Khan, Justice Shahid Waheed, Justice Ali Baqar Najafi and other judges participated.

The chief justice along with other senior judges presented a bouquet to the outgoing Justice Ayesha A Malik on the occasion.

LHC Registrar Irfan Ahmad Saeed, District Judiciary Director General Masood Arshad, District and Sessions Judge Human Resource Abdul Rashid Abid, officers and court staff also attended the ceremony.

Source: The Nation