Digital Desk: Pakistan appointed its first female supreme court judge on Monday. A commission that decides on the advancement of judges nominated Justice Ayesha Malik, 55. She was sworn in on live television, as is customary for Supreme Court judges, with Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmad administering the oath.
"I congratulate Justice Ayesha Malik for becoming the first female judge of the Supreme Court," Prime Minister Imran Khan said in a tweet. "She has my prayers and good wishes."
After the event, Chief Justice Ahmed told reporters that Justice Malik was qualified to be a Supreme Court judge and that no one should take credit for her elevation.
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry congratulated Justice Malik on her "landmark elevation." "A powerful picture symbolises women empowerment in Pakistan," Mr Fawad tweeted alongside the picture of the oath-taking ceremony, adding that he hopes Justice Ayesha will be an asset to the country's "judicial hierarchy".
The nine-member body initially denied Malik's elevation that confirmed her appointment last year before voting 5-4 to approve her this year.
According to several attorneys' associations, Malik was chosen despite not being among the top three most senior judges on the lower court from which she was elevated. They have demanded that judges be promoted based on objective standards.
In March 2012, Justice Malik was appointed to the Lahore High Court as a judge. She will now serve as a Supreme Court justice until June 2031, when she will retire.
She will also be Pakistan's most senior judge, with the possibility of becoming the country's Chief Justice in January 2030. In such case, she would make history by becoming Pakistan's first female chief justice.
According to the Lahore High Court website, Malik, who was born in 1966, received her primary education in Paris, New York, and Karachi.
According to the Lahore High Court website, she studied law at Pakistan College of Law in Lahore and received her LLM from Harvard Law School.
She issued a significant ruling in June 2021, declaring virginity testing for the examination of sexual assault survivors "illegal and contrary to the Pakistani Constitution." She created history by becoming the first female supreme court judge.
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