Justice Aalia Neelum on Thursday became the first woman chief justice of the Lahore High Court (LHC) as she took oath of office from Punjab Governor Saleem Haider Khan.
LHC Chief Justice Neelum’s elevation was unanimously approved by the Judicial Commission of Pakistan after her predecessor, Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan, was elevated to the Supreme Court. President Asif Ali Zardari formally notified her appointment earlier this week.
Justice Neelum is the 47th chief justice of the LHC since 1920. She takes office as Punjab province is also led by a woman chief minister, Maryam Nawaz, for the first time in the province’s history.
Born on Nov. 12, 1966, Justice Neelum is a distinguished jurist with a remarkable career spanning over two decades. She secured her LLB degree from Punjab University in 1995 and later earned a Master’s degree in Political Science from the same institution. She also holds diplomas in Sharia Law and Advanced Sharia Law from the Islamic University of Islamabad, as well as a diploma in Intellectual Property Rights from the University of the Punjab. Additionally, she has a Bachelors of Education degree from Punjab University of the Punjab.
She commenced her legal career in 1996 as an advocate with the Punjab Bar Council before being enrolled as an advocate of the Supreme Court in 2008. Her contributions to the legal profession led to her elevation as an Additional Judge of the LHC in 2013, and she took oath as a judge of the LHC on March 16, 2015.