Justice Yahya Afridi Set to Become Pakistan’s Chief Justice
- Sara Habib
- October 23, 2024
- 9:00 am
- 112
- Current Affairs
President Asif Ali Zardari has appointed Justice Yahya Afridi. He will be the next Chief Justice of Pakistan. Justice Afridi will take over from CJP Qazi Faez Isa. His three-year term will start on October 26. The official announcement came from Aiwan-e-Sadar. This marks a big moment for Pakistan’s judiciary.
The appointment follows the 26th Constitutional Amendment. For the first time, a Special Parliamentary Committee made the nomination. They chose Justice Afridi with a two-thirds majority. This is a new method for selecting the Chief Justice. The committee's recommendation was sent to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. It was then approved by President Zardari.
The ruling coalition recently pushed through controversial judicial reforms. These reforms passed with a two-thirds majority in both houses of Parliament. The lower house passed it with 225 votes, and the upper house with 65 votes. The reforms sparked intense debates across political lines.
This new way of appointing judges aims to increase transparency. The amendment suggests that the CJP be chosen from among the top three senior judges. This has sparked both support and controversy.
The opposition party, PTI, opposed these changes. They argue it threatens the judiciary's independence. PTI vows to overturn the amendment when they return to power. They also reject Justice Afridi’s nomination. PTI is planning protests against his appointment.
Who is Justice Yahya Afridi?
Justice Afridi was born in Dera Ismail Khan in 1965. He belongs to the Afridi tribe and a family of public servants. He received his early education at Aitchison College, Lahore. He later studied at Government College Lahore, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree. He also holds a Master’s in Economics from Punjab University.
Justice Afridi pursued further studies in law. He completed his LLM at Jesus College, University of Cambridge. His education was supported by a Commonwealth Scholarship. Afterward, he trained at the Institute of Legal Studies in London.
Justice Afridi started his law career in Peshawar. He also taught International and Labour Law at Khyber Law College. He became an advocate of the High Court in 1990. By 2004, he was an advocate of the Supreme Court.
In 2010, he became a judge at the Peshawar High Court. In December 2016, he became its Chief Justice. This made him the first judge from FATA to hold this position. In 2018, he was promoted to the Supreme Court. Now, he will serve as the new Chief Justice of Pakistan.
The nation looks forward to Justice Afridi’s leadership. His strong background promises positive changes. Will his tenure bring needed reforms, or will opposition concerns prevail? Only time will tell, but his term is a critical moment for Pakistan’s legal future.
