SC poised to welcome second woman judge

Peshawar High Court (PHC) Chief Justice Musarrat Hilali is set to become the second woman judge of the Supreme Court after the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) unanimously approved her nomination on Wednesday.

Justice Hilali’s name will now be sent to the Parliamentary Committee on Judges Appointment for approval.

Her nomination was unanimously approved by the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) during a meeting chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial. The recommendation for her elevation was initially made by Justice Qazi Faez Isa and subsequently endorsed by CJP Bandial.

Once the approval is obtained from the Parliamentary Committee on Judges Appointment, Justice Hilali will officially join the Supreme Court, following in the footsteps of Justice Ayesha Malik, who was appointed in January 2022.

Notably, Justice Hilali has been the sole woman serving on the bench of the Peshawar High Court since March 2013. She holds the distinction of being the third woman to sit on the bench in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and was the first female Chief Justice of the PHC.

With an illustrious legal career, Justice Hilali has served as the Acting Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court since April 1, 2023, and assumed the position permanently on May 12. Prior to her current role, she held various prominent positions, including the first woman Additional Advocate General of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the first woman Chairperson of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Environmental Protection Tribunal, and the first female Ombudsperson for the Protection Against Harassment of Women at Workplace.

Born on August 8, 1961, in Peshawar, Justice Hilali obtained her law degree from Peshawar University's Khyber Law College. She embarked on her legal career in 1983 and has been enrolled as an advocate of the district courts, high court, and Supreme Court since then. Her notable achievements also include being elected as secretary of the Peshawar Bar Association in 1988 and serving as an executive member of the Supreme Court Bar Association twice.