Justice Tahira Safdar takes oath as first woman CJ of a Pakistani high court

QUETTA: Justice Tahira Safdar took oath on Saturday as the first woman chief justice of a Pakistani high court.

She was administered oath as the Balochistan High Court (BHC) chief justice by provincial governor Muhammad Khan Achakzai at a ceremony at the Governor House.

Justice Safdar’s nomination as chief justice of BHC was confirmed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar in July. She has replaced Justice Noor Muhammad Meskanzai whose tenure ended on Friday.

According to the BHC website, Justice Safdar was also the first woman civil judge in Balochistan and has the distinction of being the first woman to be appointed in all posts she has served on.

She is the daughter of Syed Imtiaz Hussain Baqri Hanafi, a renowned lawyer and was born in Quetta on October 5, 1957.

Justice Safdar did her Masters in Urdu Literature from the University of Balochistan and completed her degree in Law from the University Law College, Quetta.

She was elevated as an additional judge of BHC in 2009 and became a BHC judge in 2011. She will serve as BHC chief justice till October 4, 2019.

Justice Safdar is part of the special court bench hearing the high treason case against former military ruler Pervez Musharraf.