The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) has recommended Justice Mussarat Hilali for appointment as the regular chief justice of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) just days after she was appointed as interim chief justice.
During a meeting chaired by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, the JCP unanimously recommended the appointment of Justice Hilali, a senior judge and acting chief justice of the Peshawar High Court.
The panel forwarded its recommendation to the legislative committee for consideration.
Justice Hilali took the oath of office as the Supreme Court’s first female chief justice on April 1.
When PHC Chief Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan retired on March 30, the court’s most senior judge, Justice Noorul Amin Khan, was appointed as interim CJ. However, his assignment was only for one day.
Justice Hilali was selected as the PHC’s first female acting chief justice when Justice Khan retired on March 31, a day after he took over as acting CJ.
The president named Justice Hilali as acting Chief Justice until a permanent Chief Justice is selected.
CJ Hilali’s tenure will end in August. She will serve as the chief justice of the PHC for five months.
Who is Justice Musarrat Hilali?
Justice Hilali was born in Peshawar on August 8, 1961, and received a law degree from Khyber Law College, Peshawar University, before becoming an Advocate of District Courts in 1983, an Advocate of the High Court in 1988, and an Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 2006.
She accomplished major achievements in her career as a woman, including:
- From 1988 to 1989, she was the first female elected to the position of bar secretary.
- From 1992 to 1994, I served as vice president of the bar (twice).
- From 1997 to 1998, he was the General Secretary of the United Nations.
- From 2007-2008 and 2008-2009, she was the first female executive member of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA).
From November 2001 until March 2004, she was the first female Additional Advocate General of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and she was then appointed as the first female Chairperson of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Environmental Protection Tribunal.
In addition, Justice Hilali functioned as the first female ombudsman for workplace harassment protection.
On March 26, 2013, she was raised to the bench as an additional judge, and on March 13, 2014, she was confirmed as a permanent judge of the Peshawar High Court.
