ISLAMABAD: The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) on Thursday approved with a vote of five to four the nomination of Justice Ayesha Malik for her elevation to the Supreme Court.
She will be the first female Supreme Court judge in the judicial history of Pakistan.
Justice Ayesha Malik is number four on the Lahore High Court (LHC) judge seniority list. She became a judge in March 2012. In case of her elevation, she will work as a Supreme Court judge until June 2031.
She could also become the CJP after the retirement of Justice Yahya Afridi in January 2030.
A meeting of the commission was held under the chairmanship of Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed.
Justice Ayesha A. Malik had her basic education from schools in Paris and New York and did her A Levels from Francis Holland School for Girls in London. Her education in Pakistan consisted of Senior Cambridge done from the Karachi Grammar School and Bachelors in Commerce from the Government College of Commerce & Economics, Karachi. She took her initial legal education at Pakistan College of Law, Lahore. She later did her LL.M from Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A. Ayesha’s main educational achievement was being named a London H. Gammon Fellow 1998-1999 for outstanding merit. She is married with three children.
Ayesha Malik has taught Banking Law at the University of Punjab, Department of Masters of Business and Information Technology and Mercantile Law at College of Accounting & Management Sciences, Karachi.
She developed a course on ‘gender sensitization for court processes’ for Board of the Punjab Judicial Academy. She also compiled a handbook on environmental laws for facilitating the courts on dealing with environmental matters.
Ayesha started her legal career by assisting Mr. Fakhurddin G. Ebrahim at Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim & Co., Karachi from 1997 till 2001.
From 2001 till 2004, Malik worked with Rizvi, Isa, Afridi & Angell, initially as a Senior Associate. From 2004 till March 2012, she was a Partner at Rizvi, Isa, Afridi & Angell (RIAA). She was in Charge of the Firm’s Lahore Office during this time spearheading the firm’s Corporate & Litigation Department.
On 27 March 2012, Ayesha became Justice of Lahore High Court. Her expected retirement date is 2 June, 2028.
Ayesha is also a part of The International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ), an initiative of women empowerment through equality and justice for every girl and woman. Justice Ayesha is an advocate of the importance of the gender perspective in upholding the rule of law.
Ayesha’s legal practice consists of appearances in the High Courts, District Courts, Banking Court, Special Tribunals and Arbitration Tribunals. In England and Australia, she has been as expert witness in family law cases involving issues of child custody, divorce, women’s rights and constitutional protection for women in Pakistan. She has authored several notable judgments with specific reference to the women rights and gender equality.
Ayesha has chaired the Judicial Officers Female Supervisory Committee which looked at all issues related to female judicial officers.
Malik hears the environmental matters in Lahore High Court and is a green judge with advocacy of environmental justice.
She has worked on the process for effectively expediting the litigation process by automation and case management.
