Balochistan High Court gets first woman chief justice

QUETTA - In another endorsement of increasing intake of women in mainstream professions, Justice Tahira Safdar has taken the oath as the first woman chief justice of Balochistan High Court, on Saturday.

Justice Safdar’s nomination as chief justice of BHC was confirmed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar in July and she will be replacing outgoing chief justice, Justice Noor Muhammad Meskanzai whose tenure ended on Friday.

According to the BHC website, Justice Safdar was also the first woman civil judge in Balochistan and has the distinction of being the first woman to be appointed in all posts she has served on.

She is the daughter of Syed Imtiaz Hussain Baqri Hanafi, a renowned lawyer. Justice Tahira Safdar was born in Quetta on October 5, 1957.

Justice Safdar did her Masters in Urdu Literature from the University of Balochistan and completed her degree in Law from the University Law College, Quetta.

The upcoming chief justice was elevated as an additional judge of BHC in 2009 and became a BHC judge in 2011.

Justice Safdar is part of the special court bench hearing the high treason case against former military ruler Pervez Musharraf.

She will serve as BHC chief justice till October 4, 2019.