ISLAMABAD: Under the 26th Constitutional Amendment, the parliamentary committee on Tuesday nominated Justice Yahya Afridi as the 30th Chief Justice of Pakistan, following the retirement of Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa.
Justice Afridi has a distinguished academic background, born on January 23, 1965, in Dera Ghazi Khan. He completed his early education at Aitchison College in Lahore and later graduated from Government College Lahore. He also earned a Master of Arts in Economics from Punjab University.
Pursuing further studies abroad, Justice Afridi received a Commonwealth Scholarship to pursue an LL.M. from Jesus College at the University of Cambridge, marking the beginning of an illustrious legal journey.
Career
Justice Afridi began his legal career in 1990, enrolling as an advocate at the Peshawar High Court. His legal acumen quickly advanced him to the Supreme Court by 2004. He also served as Assistant Advocate General for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during this time, showcasing his expertise in various legal domains.
In 2010, he was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Peshawar High Court, and on March 15, 2012, he was confirmed as a Permanent Judge. On December 30, 2016, Justice Afridi became the Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court, becoming the first judge from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) to hold this position.
Supreme Court of Pakistan
On June 28, 2018, Justice Afridi was elevated to the Supreme Court of Pakistan. He has since been involved in several high-profile cases, including his participation in the larger bench that heard the presidential reference on the execution of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. His dissenting note concerning reserved seats in the Sunni Union Council further solidified his reputation for judicial independence.
Justice Afridi’s legal contributions are particularly notable in administrative law and public service. His commitment to legal education is evidenced by his time as a lecturer at Khyber Law College, University of Peshawar, where he taught International Law, Labour Law, and Administrative Law, mentoring the next generation of legal professionals.
Justice Afridi belongs to the Adam Khel section of the Afridi tribe from the Kohat Frontier Region, a family with a long history of public service. His upbringing in such a community has deeply influenced his dedication to justice and service to the nation.
