Justice Tahira Safdar becomes first female chief justice of Balochistan high court

Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Saqib Nisar on Monday appointed Justice Tahira Safdar, the first ever woman chief justice, to take charge of Balochistan high court.

Justice Safar will be taking on her new role subsequent to the retirement of the present Balochistan High Court Chief Justice Mohammad Noor Muskanzai who reaches superannuation on August 31st.

Born on October 5th 1957 in Quetta, the daughter of renowned lawyer Syed Imtiaz Hussain Baqri Hanafi has made history before as well when she became the first female civil judge in Baluchistan in 1982.

Gaining her basic education from Cantonment Public School in Quetta, Justice Safar completed her bachelor’s degree from University Law College in 1980.

Following her feat in a competitive examination held by the Baluchistan Public Service Commission, she scored herself a spot as a senior civil judge in February of 1991.

She went on to get promoted as a district and sessions judge in 1996 and was also employed as a presiding officer in the Labour Court.

In 1998 she was selected as a member of the Balochistan Services Tribunal before she became the chairperson in 2009.

She later advanced to the position of additional judge of the high court and formalized as a BHC judge in 2011.

Presently Justice Safdar is part of three-judge special court that is carrying out the trial of Pervaiz Musharraf under the case of treason when he proclaiming a state of emergency in November of 2007.