Justice Aalia Neelum becomes first female top judge of Lahore High Court

Tariq Butt, Correspondent

Justice Miss Aalia Neelum made history as she was appointed the first-ever woman chief justice of the Lahore High Court (LHC), Punjab province, Pakistan.

The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) unanimously nominated Miss Neelum in a meeting chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa.

Meanwhile, Justice Shafi Muhammad Siddiqui was also unanimously selected for the post of Sindh High Court (SHC) chief justice by the JCP.

The slot fell vacant after former SHC Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi's elevation as a judge to the apex court.

Justice Neelum stood third on the seniority list of the LHC judges after the elevation of former LHC Chief Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan to the Supreme Court.

After Justice Shahzad Ahmad’s elevation, Justice Shujaat Ali Khan had been appointed as the acting chief justice of the LHC by President Asif Ali Zardari under Article 196 of the Constitution.

Miss Aalia Neelum born on Nov.12, 1966 and got her law degree from University of the Punjab in 1995. She was enrolled as an Advocate on Feb.2, 1996. She was appointed judge of the LHC on April 12, 2013. She rendered numerous reported judgments on numerous important issues.

Aalia Neelum did her masters in political science from the University of the Punjab, Diploma in Sharia Law from the Islamic University of Islamabad, Diploma in Advance Sharia Law from the Islamic University of Islamabad, Diploma in Intellectual Property Rights, the University of the Punjab, and bachelor’s in education from the University of the Punjab.