ISLAMABAD: On Friday, Justice Musarrat Hilali was sworn in as a judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, becoming the second woman in the country’s 75-year history to be elevated to the apex court. This appointment follows her historic position as the acting chief justice of the Peshawar High Court, where she became the first woman to hold the role on April 1.
Pakistan has witnessed several groundbreaking achievements by women in the legal field this year. In January, Justice Ayesha Malik became the first female Supreme Court judge. Additionally, Sabahat Rizvi and Rabbiya Bajwa made history as they were elected as secretary and vice president, respectively, of the Lahore High Court Bar Association last month.
AGHS, the law firm founded by prominent Pakistani lawyer Asma Jahangir, expressed the significance of this momentous occasion on Twitter, stating, “This milestone marks a remarkable achievement as Justice Hilali not only becomes the second female Supreme Court judge but also the first female judge from KP.”
Justice Hilali, born on August 8, 1961, in Peshawar, hails from a family deeply involved in the Khudai Khedmatgar, a nonviolent resistance movement known for opposing British rule in colonial India. She pursued her legal education at Khyber Law College, Peshawar University, and embarked on her advocacy journey in 1983 as an advocate in the district courts. Over the years, she advanced her career and became a high court advocate in 1988, followed by admission as an advocate of the Supreme Court in 2006.
Throughout her career, Justice Hilali achieved numerous notable milestones. She became the first female elected secretary of the Peshawar Bar Association from 1988 to 1989, serving as vice president twice from 1992 to 1994, and attaining the position of the first female General Secretary from 1997 to 1998. Moreover, she was elected as an executive member of the Supreme Court Bar Association for two terms, from 2007 to 2008 and 2008 to 2009.
Notably, Justice Hilali also served as the first female Additional Advocate General of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, from November 2001 to March 2004. Additionally, she held the distinction of being the first woman Chairperson of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Environmental Protection Tribunal and the first female Ombudsperson for ‘Protection against the Harassment of Women in the Workplace.’
Justice Hilali’s retirement is scheduled for August 7, 2023, after an accomplished career of dedicated service. It is worth mentioning that Justice Ayesha A. Malik made history last year as the first woman in Pakistan to be elevated to the Supreme Court. Her appointment received the endorsement of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan, which holds the responsibility of appointing judges to the Supreme Court and high courts in the country.
