Explanation

Justice Yahya Afridi has been appointed new Chief Justice of Pakistan with effect from October 26, 2024 . Justice Yahya Afridi was sworn in as the 30th chief justice of Pakistan on Saturday during an oath-taking ceremony at President House in Islamabad. He was administered the oath of office by President Asif Ali Zardari. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir were also in attendance, along with other judges of the Supreme Court. Justice Yahya Afridi: Born in Dera Ismail Khan on Jan 23, 1965, Justice Afridi belongs to the Adam Khel clan of the Afridi tribe and is a resident of Kohat’s Babari Banda village. He comes from a family steeped in the tradition of public service. Justice Afridi attended Aitchison College and Government College, Lahore for his schooling and undergraduate degree. He later obtained an MA Economics from Punjab University. After being awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship, Justice Afridi completed his LLM from Jesus College at the University of Cambridge. He was subsequently selected for a scholarship programme for Young Commonwealth Lawyers at the Institute of Legal Studies in London. He interned at Fox & Gibbons, Solicitors, in London, before returning to Pakistan, where he joined Orr, Dignam & Co. in Karachi as an associate. He started his private practice in Peshawar and also lectured at the Khyber Law College, where he taught international law, labour law and administrative law. He was enrolled as a high court advocate in 1990 and a Supreme Court lawyer in 2004. He served as an assistant advocate general for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and as federal counsel for the federal government, while in practice. Justice Afridi was elevated to the Peshawar High Court (PHC) as an additional judge in 2010, and confirmed as a PHC judge on March 15th, 2012. He became the first judge from erstwhile Fata to assume the office of the PHC chief justice, when he took oath on Dec 30, 2016. He served in that office until his elevation to the Supreme Court on June 28, 2018.