The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) on Tuesday unanimously approved the name of Justice Aalia Neelum for election as chief justice of the Lahore High Court (LHC), making her the first woman to hold the top post of the high court.
Headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, the JCP approval followed the elevation of former LHC chief justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan to the Supreme Court. Subsequently, Justice Shujaat Ali Khan was appointed the acting chief justice as the senior-most judge of the LHC. Justice Neelum stands third in the seniority list of judges of the LHC, with Justice Ali Baqar Najafi in second place.
The JCP meeting considered all three for the role of LHC chief justice before settling on Justice Neelum, which stands to make history. Following Justice Neelum’s formal appointment, Punjab—for the first time in its history—would be both led by a woman chief minister and have a woman chief justice.
According to local media, Justice Neelum’s elevation is a result of her exemplary record. However, it raises anew complaints of bar associations over setting aside the seniority principle. Born on Nov. 12, 1966, she secured her LLB from the University of Punjab in 1995 and became an advocate of the Supreme Court in 2008. She was elevated as a judge of the Lahore High Court in 2013.
Also on Tuesday, the JCP unanimously recommended the elevation of Justice Shafi Siddiqui as chief justice of the Sindh High Court to fill the seat left vacant after Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi was elevated to the Supreme Court.