Justice Yahya Afridi: A New Era Begins
On October 26, 2024, Justice Yahya Afridi will take an oath as the new Chief Justice of Pakistan, an appointment that will certainly have a considerable impact on the country’s judicial space.
Background of Yahya Afridi
Yahya Afridi is a senior justice at the Peshawar High Court. He was born in Dera Ismail Khan in 1965. Justice Afridi’s educational story is vast. He was educated at Aitchison College Froebel’s International School and has a Political Science and Economics Bachelor’s degree from the Government College, Lahore. Furthermore, he has a Master’s in Economics from Punjab University and an LL.M. from Jesus College, Cambridge.
He started practicing law at the law firm Orr, Dignam & Co., based in Karachi. He subsequently moved to Peshawar, where he also became a teacher at the Khyber Law College. In 2010, he was elevated to the Peshawar High Court as an additional judge for a year and later affirmed in 2012. Before 2016, he was the inaugural judge from the federally administered tribal area to be Chief Justice of the said court.
26th Constitution Amendment Bill 2024: Pakistan’s Legal Reform Begins
The Appointment Process
President Asif Ali Zardari endorsed Justice Yahya Afridi’s appointment. This was after a parliamentary committee that convened to complete his nomination process made some recommendations on the last day. A consensus was reached within the committee where two-thirds of the members were present but the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party did not participate in the activities.
The appointment will see Afridi take office for a period of three years, and during that time, it is anticipated that he will establish constitutional benches to adjudicate on important matters concerning multiple articles of the Constitution.
View this post on Instagram
Expectations from Justice Yahya Afridi
The performance of Justice Yahya Afridi as a member of the bench is expected to offer new insights into Pakistan’s judicial system. His experience and background suggest that he will necessarily seek to promote justice while tackling the current complex legal problems. Even some of the critics held the optimistic view that he would be able to restore hope in the judicial system.
The ceremony of taking the oath on the 26th of October is a merely ceremonial act, but it draws the curtain on the past legal era and opens up new possibilities for the present legal era under the leadership of Chief Justice Afridi.
As such, the appointment of Justice Yahya Afridi as Chief Justice has historical significance for the country of Pakistan. His solid background and challenges in the field of justice prepared him very well for this crucial appointment. This is what the country awaits in terms of the impact of his leadership on the judiciary of the country.
Get the Most Important Updates about the World!