On Saturday, President Asif Ali Zardari swore in Yahya Afridi as Pakistan’s 30th Chief Justice following the retirement of former Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa. The ceremony took place at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, with dignitaries including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and military leaders in attendance.
Justice Afridi will hold the position for a three-year term and is the first chief justice appointed under new selection rules established by the recent 26th Constitutional Amendment.
In addition to the oath-taking, there have been changes to the Supreme Court’s case management committee, which Afridi now leads, along with Justices Mansoor Ali Shah and Munib Akhtar as members. The Supreme Judicial Council has also been restructured, with Afridi taking on the role of chairman.
Born on January 23, 1965, in Dera Ismail Khan, Afridi has a strong background in law and public service. He received his education at Aitchison College and earned degrees in Political Science, Economics, and an LLM from the University of Cambridge. His legal career includes positions as a lecturer and practicing attorney before ascending to the bench. Notably, he was the first chief justice of the Peshawar High Court from the Federally Administered Tribal Area before his elevation to the Supreme Court in 2018.
