Justice Yahya Afridi is set to become Pakistan’s next Chief Justice, selected by a parliamentary committee with a two-thirds majority. Born on January 23, 1965, in Dera Ghazi Khan, Justice Afridi’s impressive educational background includes studying at Aitchison College, Lahore, and Government College, Lahore, before earning an MA in Economics from Punjab University, Lahore. He also holds an LLM degree from Jesus College, Cambridge University, courtesy of a Commonwealth scholarship .
Early Career
Justice Afridi started his legal journey in 1990 as a High Court lawyer and later practiced as a Supreme Court lawyer in 2004. His roles have included Assistant Advocate General for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Associate at Orr, Dignam & Co. in Karachi. He even interned at Fox & Gibbons in London and taught law at Khyber Law College, University of Peshawar, from 1991 to 2005 .
Judicial Career
Justice Afridi’s judicial appointments include:
– Additional Judge of the Peshawar High Court (2010)
– Permanent Judge (March 15, 2012)
– Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court (December 30, 2016)
– Judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan (June 28, 2018)
Notably, Justice Afridi has presided over significant cases, such as the Sunni Ittehad Council reserved seats and the presidential reference against former Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s execution. He recently declined to join the three-member judges’ committee for the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Ordinance 2024.
With his extensive experience and distinguished career, Justice Yahya Afridi is poised to take on the significant role of Chief Justice of Pakistan on October 26, 2024
