ISLAMABAD – Justice Umar Ata Bandial will take oath as the 28th Chief Justice of Pakistan on February 2 as the current CJP Justice Gulzar Ahmed will retire after working in the top judicial position for more than two years.
The Ministry of Law and Justice has forwarded a summary recommending the appointment of Justice Umar Ata Bandial as new CJP to the office of President Arif Alvi for his approval.
Justice Bandial will continue as the chief justice till his retirement on September 18, 2023, and will hold the position for some 19 months. After Justice Bandial’s superannuation, Justice Qazi Faez Isa will become the chief justice to serve this office for over one year till October 25, 2024.
Following President’s approval, the ministry will then issue a notification confirming Justice Bandial’s appointment. The change in command takes place on the principle of seniority in which the puisne judge becomes the chief justice.
CJP Gulzar Ahmad will attain superannuation at the age of 65 on February 1. Supreme Court judges, including the chief justice, retire after attaining the age of 65 years while the high court justices superannuate on becoming 62-year-old under the Constitution.
JCP approves Justice Ayesha Malik’s elevation to the Supreme Court
Earlier, Justice Gulzar sworn in on December 21, 2019, replacing Chief Justice Saqib Nisar. He had remained part of benches that had announced various landmark and high profile judgments including disqualification of deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
