Justice Yahya Afridi was sworn in as Pakistan’s 30th Chief Justice in a ceremony held at Aiwan-e-Sadr, Islamabad. President Asif Zardari administered the oath, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir, and the Supreme Court judges were present. The ceremony began with a Quranic recitation, followed by the formal announcement of Justice Afridi’s appointment.
Justice Afridi’s term as Chief Justice will extend for three years, as outlined by the recently passed 26th Constitutional Amendment. This amendment provided for his nomination by the parliamentary committee, securing his appointment as Chief Justice. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Chief Minister, Ali Amin Gandapur, was also in attendance to support the new Chief Justice at the ceremony.
Read more: Yahya Afridi to Be Sworn in as Pakistan’s 30th Chief Justice on November 26, 2024
Justice Yahya Afridi was born in Dera Ismail Khan on January 23, 1965, into the Adam Khel section of the Afridi tribe, known for its tradition of public service. He pursued his early education at Aitchison College in Lahore, then completed his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Economics at Government College Lahore, followed by a Master’s degree in Economics from Punjab University. Later, on a Commonwealth Scholarship, he earned an LL.M. from Jesus College, University of Cambridge, and studied further at the Institute of Legal Studies, London.
After internships and practice in the UK, Justice Afridi returned to Pakistan to work as an associate at Orr, Dignam & Co. in Karachi, then started his practice in Peshawar, lecturing in law at Khyber Law College. Enrolled as an advocate of the high court in 1990 and of the Supreme Court in 2004, he served in various legal and governmental roles. He was appointed as an Additional Judge in the Peshawar High Court in 2010 and became the first judge from FATA to serve as Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court before his 2018 elevation to the Supreme Court.
