QUETTA: A full court reference was held on Friday in honour of outgoing Balochistan High Court (BHC) Chief Justice Justice Syed Tahira Safdar.

BHC judges, including Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan, Justice Hashim Kakar, Justice Ejaz Khan Swati, Justice Kamran Mullahkhail, Justice Zaheeruddin Kakar, Justice Abdullah Baloch, Justice Nazeer Ahmed Langov, Justice Rozi Khan Barrech and Justice Abdul Hameed Baloch, and senior lawyers attended the reference.

Supreme Court Bar Association president Amanullah Khan Kanrani and office-bearers of the Balochistan Bar Council, High Court Bar Association and Quetta Bar Association addressed the full court and paid tribute to 27 years of services of outgoing Chief Justice Tahira Safdar for the supremacy of law and justice in the country.

They said that as a judge, she always upheld the supremacy of law and justice in her conduct and decision of cases she heard during her career. “Justice Tahira Safdar will be remembered as a courageous and brave judge who always upheld justice and never compromised on law and justice,” Mr Kanrani said.

Syeda Tahira Safdar took charge of Chief Justice of the Balochistan High Court on Sept 1, 2018. She was made the additional judge of the BHC in September 2009. On May 11, 2011, she took the oath as BHC judge. She announced verdict in 172 cases.

She was a member of the three-judge Balochistan High Court bench that heard the high treason case against former president retired Gen Pervez Musharraf.

She had the honour of becoming the first woman civil judge of Balochistan.

She started her career as a civil judge after passing the examination of civil services in 1982. In February 1991, she was appointed as additional district and sessions judge. In 1996, she was elevated to the position of district and sessions judge. She also held the post of Balochistan Services Tribunal chairperson.

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2019