LAHORE: Justice Aalia Neelum was sworn in as the first female chief justice of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday in an oath-taking ceremony held at the Governor’s House in Lahore.
Governor Punjab Sardar Saleem Haider Khan administered the oath to Justice Aalia Neelum in the ceremony where Punjab’s first woman Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was also present.
The appointment came after President Asif Ali Zardari approved, as well as that of Justice Shafi Siddiqui as the Sindh High Court’s top judge, under Article 175-A(13) of the Constitution.
Justice Miss Aalia Neelum is a distinguished jurist with a remarkable career spanning over two decades. Born on November 12, 1966, she obtained her L.L.B degree from the University of the Punjab, Lahore, in 1995, and later earned a Master’s degree in Political Science from the same institution. Additionally, she has a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of the Punjab, Lahore.
Justice Miss Aalia Neelum began her legal career in 1996, enrolling as an advocate with the Punjab Bar Council. She quickly established herself as a formidable lawyer, excelling in various domains. Her exceptional advocacy skills and in-depth knowledge of the law earned her recognition, and she was enrolled as an Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 2008.
Her outstanding performance and dedication to the legal profession led to her elevation as an Additional Judge of the Lahore High Court in 2013. Later, she received confirmation and took oath as a Judge on March 16, 2015, and has since rendered 203 reported judgments on a wide range of legal issues.
Justice Miss Aalia Neelum has also served as the Inspection Judge for multiple districts, including Okara, Nankana, Gujrat, Sheikhupura, and Rawalpindi, and has acted as the Monitoring/Administrative Judge for various special courts and tribunals, including as the first female Administrative Judge of Anti-Terrorism Courts of the Punjab.