Islamabad: For the first time in Pakistan’s history, a woman has been appointed as chief justice of a High Court.
Justice Syeda Tahira Safdar on Saturday took oath as chief justice of the of the Balochistan High Court (BHC), marking a first not only in the judicial history of the province but also the country.
Balochistan governor Mohammad Khan Achakzai administered the oath to her during a ceremony held at the Governor House on Saturday.
Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan, High Court judges and senior advocates attended the ceremony. A delegation from the Lahore Court Bar and LHC Justice Ayesha Malik also attended the oath taking ceremony.
Justice Tahira is the 18th chief justice and is the most senior judge in the Balochistan High Court, after former CJ Mohammad Noor Muskanzai who retired on September 1.
She was also the first woman to be appointed as a civil judge in Balochistan and holds the distinction of being the first woman in the province to be appointed as a judge in the BHC.
Justice Tahira took oath as a permanent judge on May 11, 2011, and was appointed as an additional judge in the high court on September 7, 2009.
Since her appointment, she has heard 157 constitutional petitions. She has also served as the chairperson of Balochistan Service Tribunal, district and session judge.
In July, this year Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar nominated Justice Syeda Tahira Safdar as the chief justice of Balochistan High Court (BHC), paving way for her to become the first female chief justice of any court in the country.
“Madam Tahira Safdar will be the next chief justice of BHC,” he had announced.
Justice Tahira Safdar will work as the chief justice of the BHC till October 5, 2019. Justice Tahira Safdar has also been part of the special court, hearing the high treason case against former military ruler Pervez Musharraf.
Justice Safdar was born in Quetta on October 5, 1957, and completed her basic education from Cantonment Public School in Quetta.
She received her undergraduate degree from Government Girls College, Quetta.
Justice Safdar completed her Masters in Urdu Literature from the University of Balochistan and her law degree from Quetta University Law College in 1980.
According to her profile on BHC’s website, Justice Tahira Safdar is the daughter of Syed Imtiaz Hussain Baqri Hanafi, a renowned lawyer.
