Yahya Afridi to be sworn in as Chief Justice at 11 am today

ISLAMABAD: Yahya Afridi is set to take the oath of office as the Chief Justice at 11 am on Saturday (today) in the Aiwan-e-Sadr.

A formal farewell ceremony was held for the outgoing Chief Justice, Qazi Faez Isa, on Friday. The event saw prominent legal figure in attendance, as many talked about Isa’s tenure.

Read more: Who is Yahya Afridi, the new Chief Justice?

Faez Isa was sworn in as the 29^th Chief Justice on September 2023.

Yahya Afridi was nominated by a newly established Special Parliamentary Committee. He will step into the new role with huge expectations from the legal community, especially following the recent controversial amendments by  the government  many see as undermining judiciary’s authority.

The farewell ceremony  for Isa was broadcast live on the Supreme Court’s official website and YouTube channel.

A notable absence from the farewell were senior judges: Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, who was performing umrah, along with Justice Ayesha Malik, Athar Minallah, and Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan.

Their seats were occupied by Justice Afridi and Justice Aminuddin Khan.

A total of 16 judges attended the farewell, with Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Shahid Waheed.

Yahya Afridi talked about his priorities as the new Chief Justice, stating that there was a pressing need to address the concerns  of most remote regions of Pakistan.

He hinted that his immediate priority would be to focus on the areas  such as Jiwani in Balochistan, Tank in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ghotki in Sindh and Sadiqabad in Punjab.

He also promised to improve access to justice for women, children and people with disabilities, with a promise to improve the overall justice delivery in the country.