ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Law and Justice on Friday formally notified the appointment of Justice Ayesha Malik as a judge of the Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan.
The Lahore High Court’s (LHC) judge has officially become Pakistan’s first-ever woman judge to be green lighted to sit on the apex court. According to the notification, her appointment has been approved by President Arif Alvi and will come into effect as soon as she takes oath of office.
“In exercise of powers conferred by clause (1) of article 177 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the president is pleased to appoint Mrs Ayesha A. Malik, a judge of the Lahore High Court, […] as a judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan with effect from the date she takes oath of her office,” the notification stated.
The development comes two days after the Parliamentary Committee on the Appointment of Superior Judiciary approved the appointment of Justice Malik as a judge of the SC.
The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) had earlier this month approved Justice Malik for elevation to the apex court by a majority of five to four during a heated session that had lasted nearly three-and-a-half hours.
This was the second time that the JCP held a meeting to decide on Justice Malik’s elevation. A lack of consensus during an extended meeting of the JCP on Sept 9 last year had forced the commission to reject her elevation.
Reports say Justice Qazi Faiz Isa was among the four members of the JCP who on Thursday opposed the elevation of Justice Ayesha Malik to the Supreme Court.
At the time, the Supreme Court Bar Association President Abdul Latif Afridi had called a countrywide protest to express anger over disregard to the seniority principle in the appointment of judges to the apex court.
