Yahya Afridi was sworn in as the 30th Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) on Saturday during an oath-taking ceremony at the President House in Islamabad, as reported by Dawn. Pakistani Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered his congratulations to Afridi on this occasion.
In a post on X, Sharif stated, “I congratulate Justice Yahya Afridi on taking oath as the Chief Justice of Pakistan. His 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.”
I congratulate Justice Yahya Afridi on taking oath as the Chief Justice of Pakistan. His 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…
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) October 26, 2024
Afridi was nominated by a Special Parliamentary Committee (SPC) established under the newly implemented 26th Amendment, as reported by Dawn. He was sworn in by Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari and will serve a term of three years.
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His predecessor, Faez Isa, who took office on September 17, 2023, received an official farewell on Friday during a full court reference attended by senior lawyers.
The oath-taking ceremony on Saturday was attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the three services chiefs, including Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, along with other Supreme Court judges.
Upon assuming office, Afridi reconstituted the Practice and Procedure Committee and reinstated Justice Akhtar into the body, according to Dawn. Following an ordinance last month amending the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act 2023—a law aimed at limiting the CJP’s powers—the new chief justice can now appoint any Supreme Court judge to be the third member of the committee.
Previously, Isa had removed Justice Akhtar, the third senior-most judge at the time, from the committee and replaced him with Aminuddin Khan, as reported by Dawn.
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