Justice Aalia Neelum is officially nominated as the chief justice (CJ) of the Lahore High Court (LHC), marking the first time a female judge was appointed to the position.
The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) unanimously nominated the judge earlier in the day at a meeting presided over by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa.
Following the appointment of previous LHC CJ Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan to the Supreme Court, Justice Aalia now ranks third on the LHC’s seniority list.
After Justice Shahzad’s promotion, President Asif Ali Zardari nominated Justice Shujaat Ali Khan as the acting Chief Justice of the High Court under Article 196.
At the same time, Justice Shafi Muhammad Siddiqui was unanimously nominated as the chief judge of the Sindh High Court (SHC).
Former SHC CJ Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi was appointed as a top court judge with Justice Shahzad and Justice Shahid earlier this month, leaving the position vacant.
