Justice Ayesha Malik on Monday took oath as a Supreme Court judge in Pakistan, becoming the first woman in the country’s history to reach the apex court.
She was sworn in by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed at a ceremony in Islamabad.
Prime Minister Imran Khan congratulated Justice Ayesha Malik on becoming the first woman judge of the Supreme Court and also wished her all the best on Twitter.
Pakistan’s human rights minister Shireen Mazari described it as a “historical moment” for the country’s judiciary.
While many in Pakistan celebrated her elevation to the top court, some lawyers and judges opposed the move on the grounds that it violated the principle of seniority, as Malik was the fourth most senior judge of the Lahore High Court before her promotion.
On January 6, Pakistan judicial commission approved the elevation of Justice Ayesha A. Malik, clearing the way for the first woman in the country’s history to become a Supreme Court justice.
Profile: Justice Ayesha Malik
Justice Malik completed her early education from schools in Paris and New York and then completed her senior Cambridge from the Karachi Grammar School.
She studied law at the Pakistan College of Law in Lahore and went on to do her LLB from the Harvard Law School Cambridge, (Massachusetts, US) where she was named a London H Gammon fellow 1998-1999.
Justice Malik has appeared as a pro-bono counsel for several NGOs working on poverty alleviation, microfinance and skills-training programmes. She is also the author of a number of publications and has taught banking law at the University of the Punjab.
