Justice Hilali takes oath as first woman CJ of PHC

PESHAWAR: Justice Musarrat Hilali took oath as the first-ever woman chief justice of the Peshawar High Court on Saturday.

Once confirmed by the Judicial Commission of Pakistan, she will be only the second CJ of a high court in the country after Justice Tahira Safdar of the Balochistan High Court.

On Saturday, Governor Haji Ghulam Ali administered the oath to the new top judge of the province during a ceremony at the Governor’s House.

According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice, Justice Musarrat Hilali would act as the chief justice of the PHC from April 1 till the appointment of a regular CJ by the Judicial Commission of Pakistan.

On Friday, Justice Roohul Amin Khan took oath as the acting CJ PHC and retired on the same day. The former Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court Qaiser Rashid Khan laid off robes on Thursday.

The new CJ, Justice Musarrat Hilali, was elevated to the bench as an additional judge in March 2013 and was confirmed as a permanent judge of the PHC in March 2014.

She was born in Peshawar on August 8, 1961 and got her degree in law from Khyber Law College.

She started practicing law in 1983, became advocate of the high court in 1988 and advocate of the Supreme Court in 2006.

She remained an additional advocate general and also served at key positions in bar associations as well as human rights bodies.