Parliamentary panel okays Justice Ayesha’s elevation

ISLAMABAD: The Parliamentary Committee on Judges Appointment on Wednesday approved the elevation of Lahore High Court's (LHC) Justice Ayesha Malik as a Supreme Court's (SC) judge, Geo News reported.

The committee, under the chairmanship of Farooq Hamid Naek, decided to approve Justice Ayesha's elevation, per the report. According to Farooq Naek, the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) on January 7 approved the nomination of Justice Ayesha Malik for her appointment as the Supreme Court judge with a vote of five out of nine.

He further said that the court is not abolishing the procedure to appoint judgesbased on their seniority, adding that Malik would be the first woman to become an SC judge and "she would benefit the country".

If appointed, Malik will be the first female Supreme Court judge in the judicial history of Pakistan. It is pertinent to mention here that Justice Ayesha Malik is ranked fourth in the Lahore High Court in terms of seniority. The Pakistan Bar Council had declared a strike against the appointment of Justice Ayesha Malik.