Justice Ayesha A. Malik of the Lahore High Court is on the cusp of history after being notified as a judge of the Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan on Friday, officially making her Pakistan's first-ever woman judge to be get the go ahead to sit on the apex court.
President Arif Alvi has approved her appointment, according to a notification issued by the law ministry, and it will come into effect as soon as she takes oath of office.
As per the notification: "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 comes two days after the Parliamentary Committee on the Appointment of Superior Judiciary unanimously approved the appointment of Justice Malik as a judge of the SC.
Earlier on January 6, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Gulzar Ahmad Khan had recommended the appointment of Lahore High Court (LHC) judge Justice Ayesha A. Malik as a judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
A meeting of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) was chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Gulzar Ahmad. During the meeting the CJP s recommendation of appointing Justice Ayesha A. Malik as a judge of the Supreme Court was dispatched to the parliamentary committee.
CJ Gulzar, Justice Umar Ata Bandial, retired judge Sarmad Jalal Osmani, Attorney General for Pakistan Khalid Jawed Khan and Law Minister Dr Farogh Naseem had endorsed her name for appointment as a Supreme Court judge, whereas Justice Qazi Faez Isa, Justice Maqbool Baqar, Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and PBC representative Akhtar Hussain had opposed her nomination.
The opposing four members had insisted that criteria should be evolved for the appointment of superior court judges first.
