ISLAMABAD: According to sources on Tuesday, Justice Aalia Neelum has been nominated to serve as the chief justice (CJ) of the Lahore High Court (LHC), marking the first time a female judge has been named to the position.
Earlier in the day, at a meeting presided over by Pakistan’s Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) overwhelmingly nominated the jurist.
Following the appointment of Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan to the Supreme Court and former LHC CJ Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan, Justice Aalia is ranked third on the LHC’s seniority list.
President Asif Ali Zardari nominated Justice Shujaat Ali Khan as the acting Chief Justice for the high court pursuant to Article 196 following Justice Shahzad’s promotion.
Concurrently, there was a unanimous nomination for Justice Shafi Muhammad Siddiqui to be the Chief Judge of the Sindh High Court (SHC).
Following the appointment of former SHC CJ Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi to the highest court alongside Justices Shahzad and Shahid earlier this month, the position became vacant.
Judge Aalia: a succinct overview
Born on November 12, 1966, Hon’ble Justice Miss Aalia Neelum earned her LL.B. from the University of the Punjab in 1995. A year later, she was registered as an advocate.
In 2008, she was admitted to the Supreme Court and began serving as an advocate there as well.
Since being promoted to the LHC bench in 2013, the female jurist has issued several published rulings on a variety of significant matters.
