Safdar becomes first woman Chief Justice of High Court
She was also the first woman to be appointed as a civil judge in Balochistan
For the first time in Pakistan’s history, a woman has been appointed as chief justice of a High Court.
Justice Syeda Tahira Safdar yesterday 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 yesterday.
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 Malek also attended the oath taking ceremony.
Justice Safdar is the 18th Chief Justice and is the most senior judge in the Balochistan High Court, after former CJ Mohammad Noor Meskanzai who retired on September 1.
She was also the first woman to be appointed 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 Safdar 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.
Hearing Musharraf case
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.
Safdar will sit as Chief Justice of the BHC until October 5, 2019. She has also been part of the special court, hearing the high treason case against former military ruler Pervez Musharraf.