As the first woman to be appointed to the top post on the Lahore High Court (LHC), Justice Aalia Neelum was sworn in at the Governor’s House on Thursday.
The day following President Asif Ali Zardari’s approval of her nomination was her oath-taking ceremony. Following consideration of the nominations of three judges—including acting Chief Justice Shujaat Ali Khan and Justice Ali Baqar Najafi—for the position of LHC chief justice, the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, approved Justice Neelum’s elevation last week.
Sardar Saleem Haider Khan, the governor of Punjab, gave her the oath of office. Abid Aziz Sheikh, Justice Syed Shahbaz Rizvi, Justice Shams Mehmood Mirza, and Judge Ali Baqar Najafi of the Lahore High Court were among the other judges who attended the ceremony at the same time as the LHC judges.
Azam Nazeer Tarar, the law minister, Maryam Nawaz, the chief minister of Punjab, and the inspector general of Punjab were also present.
On June 7, Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan was elevated to the Supreme Court, leaving the position of LHC chief justice vacant. Justice Shujaat Ali Khan was then named as the acting LHC head justice.
According to the LHC’s seniority list of judges, Justice Neelum was ranked third. The JCP had resolved to take up her nomination for the LHC chief justice position at the meeting on June 7.
Justice Neelum was born on November 12, 1966, graduated with a degree in law from the University of Punjab in 1995, and commenced her advocacy studies in 1996. After that, in 2008, she registered as a Supreme Court counsel. In 2013, she was promoted to the LHC, and on March 16, 2015, she took the oath of office as a permanent judge.
In her capacity as a judge, Justice Neelum has rendered 203 great decisions. She was also the province’s first female administrative judge for anti-terrorism courts.
She played a significant part in the development of standard operating procedures for recording testimony and evidence during trials in e-courts throughout Punjab, and she was essential in the establishment of distinct courts to handle instances involving gender-based violence.
Pakistan has witnessed the promotion of female judges to high court seats in recent times. Following Justice Mohammad Noor Muskanzai’s retirement in 2018, Justice Syeda Tahira Safdar achieved a historic first by becoming the first female chief justice of the Balochistan High Court.
Subsequently, in 2021, Justice Ayesha A. Malik made history by being the first female judge to be nominated to the Supreme Court.
