Justice Aalia Neelum has been nominated as the Chief Justice (CJ) of the Lahore High Court (LHC), marking a historic event as the first woman judge to be appointed to this position, according to sources on Tuesday.
The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), in a meeting chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa earlier today, unanimously selected Justice Aalia for this prestigious role. She currently holds the third seniority position at the LHC following the elevation of former LHC CJ Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan to the Supreme Court.
Following Justice Shahzad’s promotion, Justice Shujaat Ali Khan was appointed as the acting CJ for the high court by President Asif Ali Zardari under Article 196. Meanwhile, Justice Shafi Muhammad Siddiqui has also been unanimously nominated for the position of Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court (SHC).
This vacancy arose after former SHC CJ Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi’s elevation to the top court along with Justices Shahzad and Shahid earlier this month.
Justice Aalia Neelum, born on 12th November 1966, obtained her LL.B. degree from the University of the Punjab in 1995 and was enrolled as an advocate the following year. She later practiced in the apex court after her enrollment in 2008.
During her tenure on the LHC bench since 2013, Justice Aalia has delivered several notable judgments on various significant issues. She holds additional academic qualifications including a Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Punjab and several diplomas related to law and judiciary. Additionally, she earned a B.Ed degree from her alma mater.
In her judicial career, Justice Aalia has handled cases encompassing criminal, civil, and anti-terrorism laws, and has also served as a focal person for gender-based violence courts, among other responsibilities.
