The First Woman Chief Justice of Pakistan

Syeda Tahira Safdar is a Pakistani jurist who served as the Chief Justice of the Balochistan High Court. She is the first female chief justice of any court in the history of Pakistan. Her nomination as chief justice of Balochistan High Court was confirmed by Chief Justice of Pakistan, Mian Saqib Nisar on 23 July 2018. On the provincial level, she has the honor of being the first lady in all posts she served in her life including being the first female civil judge in Balochistan in 1982.

She was born on 5 October 1957, in Quetta, Pakistan. She completed her primary education from Cantonment Public School, Quetta, bachelor's degree from Government Girls College, Quetta, master in Urdu literature from University of Balochistan, and in 1980, a law degree from University Law College, Quetta.

In 1982, she became the first female civil judge of Balochistan. She passed the Balochistan Public Service Commission examination and was promoted to senior civil judge on 29 June 1987.

She was elevated as an additional judge of Balochistan High Court on 7 September 2009. She became the judge of Balochistan High Court on 11 May 2011. In 2012, she attended a training in The Hague, Netherlands on the topic of International Law for Justice on Meeting International Human Rights Standards in Criminal Proceedings. She has been part of numerous other international conferences on the topic of law throughout her judicial career. She has been serving as a member of the Administration Committee, the Promotion Committee, and the Committee which drafts and examines the rules and their particulars and which also drafts regulations, circulars, and notifications. She was confirmed to be the Chief Justice of Balochistan High Court on 23 July 2018. In her capacity in this post, she became the first female chief justice of any court in Pakistan.

Pakistan remained the only country in South Asia to have never had a woman Supreme Court judge, a reflection of the country’s failure to address the gender imbalance in the legal profession. But now, Justice Ayesha Malik is set to become the first woman chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan after outgoing CJP Mushir Alam recommended her for the elevation in the Supreme court. Justice Alam is set to retire on August 17 and a judicial committee is considering Malik as a judge for the top court. She is currently at the Lahore High Court and ranks four on the seniority list.

Malik started her legal career by assisting Fakhurddin G Ebrahim at his legal firm in Karachi from 1997 till 2001. She studied law at the Pakistan College of Law in Lahore. After this, she got a master's degree from the prestigious Harvard Law School in London. In March 2012, she became a justice in the Lahore High Court. In 2019, Malik became the president of the Committee for Protection of Women Judges in Lahore. The panel was formed in the same year against hooliganism by lawyers in district courts” toward female judges. She is also a part of The International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ), an initiative of women empowerment through equality and justice for women.

There is a particular need in Pakistan for female lawyers and judges sensitive to the hardships women endure. Pakistani women often face a hostile environment, whether at home or in society at large. Hopefully, this appointment will be a first step toward rectifying gender disparity in the legal profession and recognition that the equal participation of women is crucial for Pakistan to become a modern, rights-respecting democracy.

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