ISLAMABAD: Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari appointed Supreme Court Justice Yahya Afridi as the next Chief Justice of Pakistan, said a statement from the President's Office on Wednesday.
The Press Wing of the President's Office said that the appointment, which is for a fixed term of three years, will be effective from October 26, 2024.
"The appointment has been made under Articles 175A(3), 177, and 179 of the Constitution, " said the statement, adding that the President had also approved the oath-taking of Justice Yahya Afridi as Chief Justice on October 26.
The appointment took place after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif sent a recommendation to the President about the appointment following a nomination by a parliamentary committee.
Previously, the senior-most justice was elevated to the position following the retirement of an outgoing Chief Justice of Pakistan. However, a constitutional amendment by the country's parliament on Sunday gave power to a parliamentary committee to choose from the three senior-most justices from the apex court for the position.
Afridi, 59, started his career as a lawyer in 1990 and was appointed as a justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 2018 after he served as Chief Justice of Peshawar High Court in the country's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.