Under the 26th Constitutional Amendment, the parliamentary committee on Tuesday nominated Justice Yahya Afridi as the 30th chief justice of Pakistan.
His appointment comes following the retirement of Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa.
Early life and education
Born on January 23, 1965, in Dera Ghazi Khan, Justice Afridi has a strong educational foundation. He completed his primary education at Aitchison College, Lahore, and graduated from Government College Lahore. He later earned a Master of Arts in Economics from Punjab University.
His academic pursuits took him further afield when he received a Commonwealth Scholarship to pursue an LL.M. from Jesus College at the University of Cambridge.
Legal career
Justice Afridi commenced his legal career in 1990 when he was enrolled as an advocate in the Peshawar High Court. His dedication to the law saw him rise through the ranks; by 2004, he was practicing as an advocate in the Supreme Court. His legal expertise also included a role as Assistant Advocate General for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In 2010, he was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Peshawar High Court, a position he held until he was confirmed as a Permanent Judge on March 15, 2012. He became the Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court on December 30, 2016, making history as the first judge from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas to assume this position.
Supreme court tenure
Justice Afridi was appointed to the Supreme Court of Pakistan on June 28, 2018. Since then, he has been involved in several high-profile cases, including his participation in the larger bench that heard the presidential reference regarding the execution of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Notably, he wrote a dissenting note in the judgment concerning reserved seats in the Sunni Union Council case.
His legal opinions and contributions have been marked by a focus on administrative law and the intersection of law and public service. Afridi’s background as a lecturer at Khyber Law College, University of Peshawar, where he taught International Law, Labour Law, and Administrative Law, showcases his commitment to nurturing the next generation of legal minds.
Personal background
Justice Yahya Afridi hails from a family with a rich tradition of public service, belonging to the Adam Khel section of the Afridi tribe located in the Kohat Frontier Region. His upbringing in such a family has undoubtedly influenced his commitment to justice and service to the nation.
