PESHAWAR, Nov 17: The newly appointed Chief Justice of Peshawar High Court, Justice Dost Mohammad Khan, took oath of his office here on Thursday.

The ceremony was attended by Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti Speaker provincial assembly Karamatullah Khan, provincial senior ministers Bashir Ahmed Bilour and Rahimdad Khan, provincial ministers, PHC judges, senior government officials and lawyers.

Born on March 20, 1953 in the southern Bannu district, Justice Dost Mohammad was appointed as additional judge of the high court on Sept 10, 2002, and was confirmed in 2003.

Following the imposition of emergency in the country by General Pervez Musharraf on Nov 3, 2007, Justice Dost Mohammad was one of the four judges of the high court who declined to take fresh oath under the Provisional Constitution Order (PCO). Later, he was restored as judge of the high court after the resignation of General Musharraf.

The new chief justice is considered a popular judge among the legal circles and has frequently been hitting the headlines in local media due to his forthright and frank observations during court proceedings. He is also known for taking interest in issues related to public interest, especially in health, environment, education and energy sectors.

Justice Dost Mohammad obtained his law degree from Government Sindh Muslim Law College, Karachi in 1975-76 and joined the profession of law the same year. He was enrolled as an advocate of lower courts in 1977, in the high court in 1981 and in Supreme Court 1998.

He was elected president of District Bar Association, Bannu for 1986-87 and thereafter he was elected as a president of Peshawar High Court Bar Association D.I. Khan Bench for the year 1999-2000. He is also chairman of the enrollment committee of the Provincial Bar Council, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He is monitoring judge of the Anti-Terrorism Courts Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

In June 2008, Justice Dost Mohammad Khan had also attended a course on reducing delay in justice and administration of justice and court management held at London, UK. Similarly, in Oct-Nov 2010, he attended a conference at Washington-DC on sharing of judicial experience on intellectual property rights and international commercial arbitration. — Bureau Report