Justice Gulzar Ahmed takes oath as 27th Chief Justice of Pakistan

Published December 21, 2019
President Dr Arif Alvi administering the oath of office to Justice Gulzar Ahmed as Chief Justice of Pakistan. Prime Minister Imran Khan is also present on the occasion. — APP
President Dr Arif Alvi administering the oath of office to Justice Gulzar Ahmed as Chief Justice of Pakistan. Prime Minister Imran Khan is also present on the occasion. — APP
President Dr. Arif Alvi shaking hands with Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed at the Aiwan-i-Sadr. —APP
President Dr. Arif Alvi shaking hands with Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed at the Aiwan-i-Sadr. —APP

Justice Gulzar Ahmed on Saturday took the oath as Chief Justice of Pakistan.

In a ceremony held at Aiwan-i-Sadr in Islamabad, President Dr Arif Alvi administered the oath to Justice Ahmed.

Prime Minister Imran Khan, Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Law Minister Farogh Naseem and various ministers attended the oath-taking ceremony.

Former chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry also attended the ceremony.

Justice Ahmed, who replaces Justice Asif Saeed Khosa as the chief justice, will serve till February 21, 2022, as the 27th chief justice.

Justice Khosa retired on Friday. At a gathering before officially addressing a full-court reference organised at the Supreme Court on the eve of his retirement, just a day after a special court released the detailed verdict in the high treason case against former dictator General retired Pervez Musharraf, Khosa said a malicious campaign has been initiated against the judiciary but the truth shall finally prevail.

Justice Gulzar Ahmed

Justice Ahmed was born on February 2, 1957, in Karachi to the family of Noor Muhammad, a distinguished lawyer. His elementary schooling was from the city's Gulistan School, according to the Supreme Court website. He then went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree from Government National College, Karachi after which he obtained his law degree from S.M. Law College, Karachi.

He enrolled as an advocate on January 18, 1986, and joined the High Court on April 4, 1988. Subsequently, he became an advocate of the Supreme Court on September 15, 2001.

Justice Ahmed was elected honorary secretary of the Sindh High Court Bar Association in Karachi for the year 1999-2000.

Throughout his legal practice, he mostly remained on the civil-corporate side, serving as the legal advisor to numerous multinational and local companies, banks and financial institutions.

Opinion

Editorial

Missing justice
Updated 15 Jan, 2025

Missing justice

SC must at least ensure missing persons cases are heard with the urgency they deserve.
Racist talk
15 Jan, 2025

Racist talk

WHEN racist tropes are amplified by the expansive reach of social media, the affected communities face real-world...
Faceless customs
15 Jan, 2025

Faceless customs

THE launch of the faceless customs assessment system as part of the government’s Tax Transformation Plan is a...
Left behind
Updated 14 Jan, 2025

Left behind

Pakistan’s education statistics threaten to leave us behind in the global knowledge economy.
Mining tragedies
14 Jan, 2025

Mining tragedies

TWO recent deadly mining tragedies in Balochistan have once again exposed the hazardous nature of work in this...
Winter sports
14 Jan, 2025

Winter sports

FOR a country with huge winter sports potential, events in Pakistan are few and far between. Therefore, the start of...