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 Yahya Afridi administered the oath to Justice Akhtar in a solemn and dignified ceremony held at the apex court in Islamabad.
According to an official statement, Justice Akhtar will serve as the acting Chief Justice in the absence of Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa and senior puisne judge Justice Mansoor Ali Shah. Chief Justice Isa is currently out of the country.
The ceremony was attended by judges of the Supreme Court, representatives from the Pakistan Bar Council, and the Supreme Court Bar Association. SC Registrar Jazeela Aslam conducted the proceedings, with officers and staff of the court also in attendance.
Justice Munib Akhtar was born in 1963 and received his early education at Aitchison College. He graduated with a BA from Government College University, Lahore, in 1983, and from Princeton University in 1986, where he completed a 150-page thesis titled “Pakistan and South Korea 1947-1970 — A Comparative Analysis of Economic Development.” He earned his LLB from Punjab University Law College in 1989.
Justice Akhtar began his legal career in 1990 when he was enrolled as an advocate in subordinate courts. He was admitted to practice at the Sindh High Court in 1992 and the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 2009.
