Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial was on Monday named among the 100 Most Influential People of 2022 by Time magazine.
CJP Bandial’s profile for the list, penned by senior lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan and placed in the leaders’ category, noted that he “is widely respected for his personal integrity, as he, the Columbia- and Cambridge-educated jurist, bears the heavy mantle of not just delivering justice but also being seen to do so”.
Who is Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial?
Justice Umar Ata Bandial (born 17 September 1958) is a Pakistani jurist who currently serves as the 28th Chief Justice of Pakistan. His appointment as the new Chief Justice was approved by President Dr. Arif Alvi on 13 January 2022, after which he assumed his office on 2 February 2022.
He has been a Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan since 17 June 2014. Prior to his appointment to the Supreme Court, he served as a Justice of Lahore High Court from 1 June 2012 to 16 June 2014.
Justice Bandial will serve as the Chief Justice of Pakistan for one year, six months and 25 days from 2 February 2022 until his retirement on 16 September 2023.
In 1973, Justice Bandial received his Senior Cambridge certificate from St Mary’s Academy, Rawalpindi. He then enrolled in Aitchison College, Lahore for his Higher Senior Cambridge certificate, which he received in 1975. He received his bachelor’s degree in economics from Columbia University in 1979[8] and followed this with a Law Tripos degree from the University of Cambridge in 1981. He qualified as a Barrister-at-Law from Lincoln’s Inn, London.
