Pakistan has sworn in Ayesha Malik as its first female Supreme Court (SC) judge, a landmark occasion in a nation where activists say the law is often wielded against women.
Justice Ayesha Malik, 55, made history by taking the oath for the coveted post on Monday, reports the Dawn.
On Thursday, the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) approved the nomination of Malik for her appointment as an SC judge with a vote of five to four in her favour.
Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed administered the oath to Justice Malik at the SC building.
The elevation of Justice Ayesha as an SC judge was not a cakewalk as lawyers from across the country had opposed her promotion, making seniority a basis, as she is ranked fourth in the Lahore High Court in terms of seniority.
In a brief interaction with reporters after the oath-taking ceremony, the chief justice said that Justice Malik was competent enough to become a Supreme Court judge and that no one deserves any credit for her elevation.
The top judge was then asked if Justice Malik was considered for elevation to the top court for being a woman or her standing as a judge.
To this, he replied: "Woman".
Justice Malik: a brief profile
Justice Malik completed her early education from schools in Paris and New York and then completed her senior Cambridge from the Karachi Grammar School.
She studied law at the Pakistan College of Law in Lahore and went on to do her LLB from the Harvard Law School Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, where she was named a London H Gammon fellow 1998-1999.
From 2001 to the date of her elevation as a high court judge, she worked with the law firm of Rizvi, Isa, Afridi and Angell, first as a senior associate and then a partner in charge of the firm’s Lahore office.
Justice Malik has appeared as a pro-bono counsel for several NGOs working on poverty alleviation, microfinance and skills-training programmes.
She is also author of a number of publications and has taught banking law at University of the Punjab and mercantile law at the College of Accounting and Management Sciences Karachi.
