Justice Yahya Afridi: Who is the new chief justice of Pakistan?

Law ministry has notified Justice Yahya Afridi as 30th chief justice of Pakistan (CJP), following approval of President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari on PM Sharif’s advice. 

Under the 26th Constitutional Amendment, the parliamentary committee on Tuesday nominated Justice Yahya Afridi as the 30th chief justice of Pakistan.

Mr Justice Yahya Afridi was born in Dera Ismail Khan on 23rd January 1965. He belongs to the Adam Khel section of the Afridi tribe located in the Kohat Frontier Region and is a resident of Village Babari Banda, District Kohat. He belongs to a family steeped in a tradition of public service.

His Lordship received his early education at Aitchison College, Lahore. He went on to earn his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Economics from Government College Lahore and later obtained his Masters of Arts degree in Economics from Punjab University, Lahore.

After being awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship, Justice Afridi completed his LL.M. from Jesus College at the University of Cambridge. He was subsequently selected for a scholarship program for Young Commonwealth Lawyers at the Institute of Legal Studies in London.

His Lordship interned at Fox & Gibbons, Solicitors, in London, before returning to Pakistan where he joined Orr, Dignam & Co. in Karachi as an Associate. Yahya Afridi went on to start his private practice in Peshawar and lectured at Khyber Law College, University of Peshawar where he taught International Law, Labour Law and Administrative Law.

Read more: President appoints Justice Yahya Afridi as 30th CJP

Justice Yahya Afridi enrolled as an advocate of the high court in 1990 and as an advocate of the Supreme Court in 2004.

He served as an Assistant Advocate General for the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and as a Federal Counsel for the government of Pakistan while in practice.

He was elevated to the bench of the Peshawar High Court as Additional Judge in 2010 and was confirmed as a Judge of the Peshawar High Court on 15th March 2012.

Justice Yahya Afridi became the first judge from the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) to assume the office of the Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court when he took oath on 30th December 2016. He served in that office until his elevation as a Judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on 28th June 2018.