ISLAMABAD: Justice Umar Ata Bandial sworn in today as the 28th Chief Justice of Pakistan in an oath-taking ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan.
Justice Bandial will continue to serve in the top judicial office until Sept 16, 2023. He has previously served as chief justice of the Lahore High Court. In Sept 2023, Justice Qazi Faez Isa is scheduled to become new Chief Justice of Pakistan.
President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi administered the oath to Justice Bandial in the presence of Prime Minister Imran Khan while some senior army officials, judges, lawyers and federal ministers also attended the ceremony.
After taking the oath, Justice Bandial, in his address to the full court, said that judges correct their own errors, which is why the minority changed into majority in Justice Faez Isa’s case.
“A social media campaign was launched against judicial orders,” he said.
As per judges seniority list, Justice Qazi Faez Isa will replace Justice Bandial as the next CJP in Sept 2023 and serve until Oct 25, 2024 (for 13 months). And he will be replaced by Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan for 282 days. Then, on Aug 4, 2025, the post will go to Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah.
Justice Shah is expected to remain in office till Nov 27, 2027, when he will be succeeded by Justice Munib Akhtar. Justice Yahya Afridi will be the country’s next top judge from Dec 14, 2028, until Jan 22, 2030.
‘Criticise judgements, not judges’
A day earlier, Justice Bandial laid out his roadmap for how the apex court will function during his term while speaking at a full-court reference held in honour of the outgoing chief justice Gulzar Ahmed.
Justice Bandial also criticised mainstream and social media alike for resorting to attacking judges rather than criticising their judgements.
“The differences in judges’ opinions in matters of law arise from our individual perceptions and this diversity brings richness to our understanding,” Justice Bandial explained.
