ISLAMABAD: Justice Munib Akhtar, the second most senior judge of the Supreme Court, was sworn in as the Acting Chief Justice of Pakistan on Saturday.

Justice Akhtar will act as the acting chief justice in the absence of the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, who had proceeded abroad to attend a conference.

Justice Akhtar is a member of the three-judge special committee, set up under the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act 2023. He is also a member of the Supreme Judicial Council and a member of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan.

The top judge is on a week-long visit to Azerbaijan to attend an international conference from May 18 to 25.

Since the senior puisne judge, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, is also on a visit to the US where he would participate in an international conference, the oath was administered by Justice Yahya Afridi.

The oath-taking ceremony was attended by judges of the Supreme Court, representatives of the Pakistan Bar Council, the Supreme Court Bar Association, and Registrar Supreme Court Ms Jazeela Aslam, who conducted the proceedings of the ceremony.

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2024