Justice Yahya Afridi Takes Oath as Pakistan’s 30th Chief Justice
— October 26, 2024
ISLAMABAD (AIA) President Asif Ali Zardari administered the oath to Justice Yahya Afridi as the 30th Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) in a ceremony held at Aiwan-e-Sadr on Saturday. The event was attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, service chiefs, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Senate Chairman Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani, governors, chief ministers, federal ministers, judges from the Supreme Court and high courts, former chief justices, law officers, lawyers, and media personnel.
Justice Afridi’s appointment followed his nomination by a special parliamentary committee under the newly adopted 26th Amendment to the Constitution, which selected him from the three senior-most judges of the Supreme Court. The prime minister then forwarded the nomination to the president for final approval.
Born on January 23, 1965, in Dera Ismail Khan, Justice Afridi was enrolled as a high court advocate in 1990 and became an advocate of the Supreme Court in 2004. He has served as Assistant Advocate General for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and as a federal counsel for the government of Pakistan.
Justice Afridi was appointed an additional judge at the Peshawar High Court in 2010 and was confirmed as a judge in 2012. In 2016, he became the first judge from the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) to serve as Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court. He held this position until his elevation to the Supreme Court of Pakistan in June 2018.