ISLAMABAD: Judicial Commission of Pakistan, unanimously, recommended the name of Peshawar High Court (PHC) Chief Justice Musarrat Hilali for her elevation to the apex court.

The JCP meeting was held on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, which was also attended by four senior judges of the Supreme Court – Justice Qazi Faez Isa, Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, Justice Ijazul Ahsan, and Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, ex-judge SC Justice Sarmad Jalal Usmani (retired), Federal Minister of Law and Justice Azam Nazir Tarar, Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan, and a representative of Pakistan Bar Council, Akhtar Hussain.

The commission’s recommendation will now be sent to the Parliamentary Committee for approval. After the elevation of Justice Hilali there will be 16 judges in the Supreme Court, while the total strength of the apex court judges is 17.

Justice Hilali’s appointment would not only be a moment of pride for Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa but would also reinforce the growing representation of women in Pakistan’s apex court. Prior to this, Justice Ayesha Malik made history as the first female judge to don the prestigious robes of the Supreme Court, paving the way for future trailblazers.

Since March 2013, Justice Hilali has been the only woman on the bench of the PHC. She is the third woman to sit on the bench in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and was the first chief justice of the PHC.

She took oath as acting chief justice of the Peshawar High Court on April 1, 2023, and became the permanent CJ of the PHC on May 12.

Justice Hilali was also the first woman additional advocate general of K-P from November 2001 to March 2004 and was later appointed as the first woman chairperson of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Environmental Protection Tribunal.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023