PESHAWAR: Justice Syed Mohammad Attique Shah was sworn in as the acting chief justice of Peshawar High Court here at the Governor’s House on Friday.

Governor Faisal Karim Kundi administered the oath to him.

The chief justice’s post fell vacant with the elevation of Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim to Supreme Court of Pakistan.

The president of Pakistan appointed Justice Attique Shah, who was second on the seniority list after the senior puisne judge Justice Ijaz Anwar, as acting chief justice under Article 196 of the Constitution until the appointment if a regular chief justice on the recommendation of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan.

Its notification was issued by the ministry of law and justice on Feb 12.

Apart from high court judges and senior lawyers, the oath-taking ceremony was also attended by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur.

The governor and chief minister congratulated Justice Shah for assuming his new responsibilities.

Belonging to a prominent family of Charsadda district, Justice Attqiue Shah was born in 1968. His father Syed Mohammad Shah Bacha was also a senior lawyer.

He was appointed as an additional judge of the high court on March 27, 2017, and was subsequently confirmed as a regular judge. His retirement in the high court is due on Oct 11, 2030.

Justice Shah had done his LLB from Faculty of Law, University of Peshawar, and was enrolled as an advocate of the districts court in 1993. He was enrolled as an advocate of the high court in 1995 and subsequently that of the Supreme Court in 2008.

Before his elevation to the bench, Justice Shah served as additional attorney general. He was a prominent figure in the bar and was thrice elected as the PHC Bar Association president and had also served as its secretary general.

Justice Shah had also remained member of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council and president of Peshawar Bar Association. He is well versed in civil, constitutional, corporate and criminal law.

Justice Shah has an immense interest in the automation of the judicial system and the use of information technology in the justice sector and was also member of the National Judicial Automation Committee.

As a judge of the high court, he has remained chairman of the Subordinate Judiciary Services Tribunal.

Justice Shah had remained administrative judge of different categories of courts including banking court, special courts (customs, taxation and anti-smuggling), control of narcotics court, consumer courts, etc.

It merits a mention that apart from Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, another judge of the high court Justice Shakeel Ahmad, was also elevated to Supreme Court. PHC is now having 21 judges against the sanctioned strength of 30.

Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2025