Islamabad (TDI): President Asif Ali Zardari has appointed Justice Yahya Afridi as the next Chief Justice of Pakistan, succeeding incumbent Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa.
Justice Afridi’s three-year term will commence on October 26, as confirmed by a statement from Aiwan-e-Sadr released on Wednesday.
The appointment aligns with Articles 175A(3), 177, and 179 of the Constitution.
Justice Afridi is set to take the oath of office on the specified date, following his nomination by the Special Parliamentary Committee, which was constituted for the first time in the country’s history to recommend candidates for the Chief Justice position.
The committee, which consists of members from all political parties in parliament, secured a two-thirds majority for the nomination on Tuesday night.
The recommendation was then forwarded to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who approved it.
This new appointment method follows the contentious 26th Constitutional Amendment, which mandates that the Chief Justice be appointed on the recommendation of the Special Parliamentary Committee from among the three most senior judges of the apex court, requiring a two-thirds majority.
Notably, the key opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), chose not to participate in the Special Parliamentary Committee meetings.
The ruling coalition recently pushed through judicial reforms in Parliament, garnering a two-thirds majority with 225 votes in the National Assembly and 65 votes in the Senate.
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PTI opposed these constitutional changes, describing them as an infringement on judicial independence and pledging to repeal the legislation upon regaining power.
In response to the appointment of Justice Afridi, PTI has announced its rejection of the nomination and plans to initiate a protest movement against the Special Parliamentary Committee’s decision.
Profile of Justice Yahya Afridi
Justice Yahya Afridi was born on January 23, 1965, in Dera Ismail Khan (DIK).
He completed his early education at Aitchison College, Lahore, and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science from Government College Lahore.
He later obtained a Master of Arts in Economics from Punjab University, Lahore.
Justice Afridi was awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship, allowing him to complete his LLM at Jesus College, University of Cambridge.
He also participated in a scholarship program for Young Commonwealth Lawyers at the Institute of Legal Studies in London.
Justice Afridi began his legal career in Peshawar, where he also lectured at Khyber Law College, University of Peshawar, teaching International Law, Labour Law, and Administrative Law.
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He was enrolled as an advocate of the High Court in 1990 and later as an advocate of the Supreme Court in 2004.
His roles included serving as Assistant Advocate General for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and as Federal Counsel for the Government of Pakistan.
He was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Peshawar High Court in 2010 and confirmed as a permanent judge on March 15, 2012.
Justice Afridi became Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court, on December 30, 2016.
He was elevated to the Supreme Court of Pakistan on June 28, 2018.
