Justice Asif Saeed Khosa sworn in as Pakistan’s 26th chief justice

Judge Asif Saeed Khan Khosa took oath on Friday as the 26 Chief Justice of Pakistan.

The oath-taking ceremony was held at the Presidential House. Judge Khosa was administered oath by President Arif Alvi. The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Imran Khan, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of the Air Staff Aasim Zaheer, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi, Supreme Court judges, senior lawyers,top government and military officials.

Judge Khosa has replaced Judge Saqib Nisar who stepped down from the post on January 17. Justice Khosa will serve as the chief justice for approximately 337 days and is scheduled to retire this year in December.

On Thursday, Judge Khosa outlining his plan for his tenure, said that the SC will rarely take suo motu notices and will only use the right when absolutely necessary. He said he also wants to pay off the country’s debt.

The chief justice was born in Dera Ghazi Khan on December 21, 1954. In 1978, he received his law degree from Queens College, UK.

Judge Khosa was elevated to the position of a Supreme Court judge on February 18, 2010. Judge Khosa was a part of the bench that disqualified Nawaz Sharif from the prime minister post in 2017. Judge Khosa was also part of the SC bench that acquitted Asia Bibi, a Christian woman who was sentenced to death for blasphemy.