LAHORE: Justice Aalia Neelum was sworn in as the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) chief justice on Thursday at the Governor’s House, becoming the first woman to be elevated to the court’s top position.
Her oath-taking ceremony occurred a day after President Asif Ali Zardari approved her appointment. Last week, the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, approved Justice Neelum’s elevation after reviewing the nominations of three judges for the position of LHC chief justice, including acting Chief Justice Shujaat Ali Khan and Justice Ali Baqar Najafi.
Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan administered the oath of office to her. At the same time, several other LHC judges – including Justice Ali Baqar Najafi, Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh, Justice Syed Shahbaz Rizvi, and Justice Shams Mehmood Mirza, among others – participated in the ceremony.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, and the Inspector-General of Punjab were also in attendance.
The office of Lahore High Court chief justice became vacant after Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan was elevated to the Supreme Court on June 7, following which Justice Shujaat Ali Khan was appointed as acting LHC chief justice.
Justice Neelum stood third in the seniority list of LHC judges. During the June 7 meeting, the JCP decided to consider her nomination for the office of LHC chief justice.
Born on November 12, 1966, Justice Neelum earned her LLB degree from the University of Punjab in 1995 and was enrolled as an advocate in 1996. She was later enrolled as an advocate of the Supreme Court in 2008 and elevated to the LHC in 2013 before being sworn in as a permanent judge on March 16, 2015.
As a judge, Justice Neelum has delivered 203 exemplary judgments and was the first woman administrative judge of anti-terrorism courts across the province.
