ISLAMABAD, Dec 12: The new Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, was administered oath of office by President Mamnoon Hussain on Thursday.

The ceremony at the presidency was attended by Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, federal ministers, parliamentarians and diplomats.

Retired chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, who never attended any state function in the presidency during the five-year term of the PPP government, was also present.

Justice Jillani will hold the office for seven months and 18 days and retire on July 5 next year.

Both the government and the opposition have hailed his elevation to the post and expressed the hope that all institutions would work within their respective domains.

Justice Jillani was born on July 6, 1949. He did his masters in political science from the Forman Christian College, Lahore, LLB from the University of Punjab and a course in constitutional law from the University of London.

He started his carrier as a lawyer from the Multan district courts in 1974 and enrolled as an advocate of the high court in 1976 and of the Supreme Court in 1983.

He also served as additional advocate general and advocate general of Punjab.

He took oath as a judge of the Lahore High Court on Aug 7, 1994, and was elevated to the Supreme Court on July 31, 2004.

He refused to take fresh oath under the PCO after the imposition of state of emergency on Nov 3, 2007. As a result, he was rendered dysfunctional. He returned to the apex court in September 2009 after restoration of the judiciary.