- President Asif Ali Zardari administers oath to newly-appointed CJP at a ceremony attended by PM, COAS among other dignitaries
- New CJP summons full court tomorrow, meeting of ATC administrative judges on Nov 7 and SJC on Nov 8
- Reconstitutes Practice and Procedure Committee by including Justice Munib Akhtar, orders live streaming system in all courtrooms
ISLAMABAD: Justice Yahya Afridi was sworn in as the 30th Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) on Saturday during a well-attended oath-taking ceremony held President House in Islamabad.
President Asif Ali Zardari administered the oath to Justice Afridi who will remain the CJP for three years till Oct 26, 2027.
Earlier, President Zardari assented to the summery of Justice Afridi’s appointment as Chief Justice of Pakistan on the advice of Prime Minister following the nomination by a Special Parliamentary Committee (SPC), formed under the recently legislated 26th Amendment.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the three services chiefs, including Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, attended the oath-taking ceremony, along with other judges of the Supreme Court.
Senior puisne judge Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, who would have become the CJP had the 26th Amendment not been in place, was unable to attend yesterday’s and today’s events as he was gone for Umrah along with his family.
However, most of the other SC judges were seen present at the oath-taking ceremony, including Justices Munib Akhtar, Ayesha Malik and Athar Minallah who were not present during yesterday’s full court reference.
Other judges attending today’s ceremony included Justices Aminuddin Khan, Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Shahid Waheed. Former CJP Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was also seen sitting along with them.
From the Punjab government, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan and Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb were among those attending the event.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, Balochistan CM Sarfraz Bugti, and KP CM Ali Amin Gandapur were also present at the gathering.
Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani and National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq attended the ceremony as well.
Among the federal ministers were Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Petroleum Minister Musadik Malik, and Privatisation Minister Abdul Aleem Khan.
Following a swearing-in ceremony at the President’s House, where he was administered the oath by President Asif Ali Zardari, Chief Justice Afridi received a formal guard of honour upon his arrival at the Supreme Court.
Praising the new CJP in a post on X, PM Shehbaz said: “Justice Afridi’s experience, wisdom and legal knowledge will guide the judiciary towards upholding justice and strengthening the rule of law.”
“I am confident that under his leadership, the courts will continue to serve the people of Pakistan with integrity and fairness. My best wishes to him for a successful tenure ahead,” the PM wrote.
CJP Afridi’s predecessor Justice Qazi Faez Isa, who was sworn in on Sept 17, 2023, was officially offered a farewell yesterday during a full court reference where senior lawyers recounted his tenure’s highlights.
Newly-appointed CJP summons full court meeting on Oct 28
Following his oath-taking as 30th Chief Justice on Saturday, Justice Yahya Afridi has convened a full court meeting of the Supreme Court judges on Monday (tomorrow).
The meeting is anticipated to address key judicial matters under his new leadership.
Justice Afridi’s appointment followed the 26th constitutional amendment, which was approved by a 12-member special parliamentary committee. Subsequently, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif recommended the appointment to President Zardari, leading to Justice Afridi’s formal designation.
Meanwhile, the new Chief Justice has summoned the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) meeting on November 8.
CJP Justice Yahya Afridi will preside over the meeting of the Supreme Judicial Council. The chief justice of Pakistan also summoned a meeting of administrative judges of anti-terrorism courts on November 7.
The website of the Supreme Court has also been updated after the swearing-in of the new Chief Justice. Justice Yahya Afridi’s name is updated as Chief Justice of Pakistan on the website. He is followed by senior-most judge Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah.
CJP Justice Afridi orders live streaming in all courtrooms
Following his oath-taking, Chief Justice Yahya Afridi has decided to introduce live streaming services across all Supreme Court courtrooms.
According to sources, Justice Yahya Afridi has tasked Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar with overseeing this project, which aims at making judicial proceedings widely accessible while safeguarding privacy, particularly in sensitive cases.
The live-streaming initiative will provide real-time access to court hearings for audiences worldwide, bringing the Supreme Court’s processes closer to the public.
However, the service will be offered only with the plaintiffs’ consent.
Special privacy provisions will be implemented, ensuring that cases involving female plaintiffs can be kept confidential when required.
This service will also benefit overseas Pakistanis, allowing them to view their legal proceedings directly, regardless of their location.
Currently, live streaming is only available in Supreme Court’s Courtroom No. 1, but with the upcoming expansion, all courtrooms will be outfitted for broader digital access.
Justice Afridi orders immediate removal of SSP Security
The SSP Security of Supreme Court of Pakistan has been changed after a youtuber took a picture of Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Yahya Afridi when he was offering prayer in the mosque on Saturday.
A YouTuber took a picture of Chief Justice Yahya Afridi while he was concluding his prayer. After reaching his chamber, Chief Justice Yahya Afridi called SP Security Raja Zaheer. The CJP was told that SSP Security was attending official meeting. On this Justice Yahya Afridi ordered immediate removal of SSP Security. According to sources, Mehfooz Kiyani has been appointed as SSP Security for the Chief Justice of Pakistan.
Speaking at the full court reference yesterday, CJP Yahya had stressed that the “rule of law shall rule” and the principles of trichotomy of power shall prevail during the time ahead.
He indicated that the immediate focus would be on districts furthest away, on improving the justice delivery system and facilitating the cases of women, children, and the disabled.
During a hearing earlier this week, Justice Afridi said a separate category would be created for cases where any law had been challenged or needed constitutional interpretation — in line with the 26th Amendment that entailed the formation of constitutional benches.
Family background, education and career
Born in Dera Ismail Khan on Jan 23, 1965, Justice Afridi belongs to the Adam Khel clan of the Afridi tribe and is a resident of Kohat’s Babari Banda village. He comes from a family steeped in the tradition of public service.
Justice Afridi attended Aitchison College and Government College, Lahore for his schooling and undergraduate degree. He later obtained an MA in economics from Punjab University.
After being awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship, Justice Afridi completed his LLM from Jesus College at the University of Cambridge. He was subsequently selected for a scholarship programme for Young Commonwealth Lawyers at the Institute of Legal Studies in London.
He interned at Fox & Gibbons, Solicitors, in London, before returning to Pakistan, where he joined Orr, Dignam & Co. in Karachi as an associate. He started his private practice in Peshawar and also lectured at the Khyber Law College, where he taught international law, labour law and administrative law.
He was enrolled as a high court advocate in 1990 and a Supreme Court lawyer in 2004. He served as an assistant advocate general for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and as federal counsel for the federal government, while in practice.
Justice Afridi was elevated to the Peshawar High Court (PHC) as an additional judge in 2010, and confirmed as a PHC judge on March 15th, 2012.
He became the first judge from erstwhile Fata to assume the office of the PHC chief justice, when he took oath on Dec 30, 2016. He served in that office until his elevation to the SC on June 28, 2018.
