Justice Asif Saeed Khosa took oath as the 26th chief justice of Pakistan on Friday in a ceremony held at the President House.
Khosa tenure as chief justice would span around 11 months and he will remain the country’s supreme judge till December 20, 2019.
The oath was administered by President Arif Alvi and the ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Imran Khan, Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of the Air Staff Aasim Zaheer, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, Supreme Court judges, senior lawyers and other government officials and ministers.Foreign dignitaries also witnessed the oath-taking ceremony. Two senior judges — one from the Supreme Court of India and the other from Canada — arrived here on Thursday through the Wagah border crossing to attend the oath-taking ceremony of incoming Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Asif Saeed Khosa in Islamabad.
Justice Madan Bhimarao Lokur of the Supreme Court of India and Justice Sandra E. Oxner, the founding president of Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute, Canada, crossed the border at around 10am where senior officials of the Punjab government welcomed them. They are accompanied by their spouses.
An official told Dawn that law-enforcement agencies escorted them to Islamabad amid tight security. He said that as per schedule, Chief Justice of India Justice Ranjan Gogoi would reach Islamabad by air to attend the ceremony.
Besides, five senior judges of Turkey, South Africa and Nigeria would attend the oathtaking ceremony secluded to be held on Friday in Islamabad.
These foreign dignitaries will participate in the ceremony as “state guests”.
Profile
Born in Dera Ghazi Khan on December 21, 1954, Justice Khosa obtained his law degree from the United Kingdom in 1976. Son-in-law of former chief justice Nasim Hassan Shah, Justice Khosa is one of the top jurists on criminal law.
In his career spanning over 19 years, he has decided about 55,000 cases. The feat is acknowledged as his biggest contribution to the judiciary. Khosa fervently urges clearing backlog of pending cases. He has decided over 10,000 criminal cases since 2014. At present, a few hundred criminal appeals are being heard.
In Justice Khosa’s courtroom, there is no concept of adjournment. After hearing arguments, he dictates and announces orders without reserving verdicts. His brand of speedy justice had allowed dozens to be acquitted and released after decades-long imprisonment.
The chief justice has also initiated steps for speedy trials in murder cases in some districts of Punjab.
Justice Khosa was among the Lahore High Court (LHC) judges who refused to take oath under the November 3, 2007 Provisional Constitution Order (PCO). He was elevated to the top court on February 18, 2010.
He has been part of benches deciding high-profile cases and has authored many landmark judgments. Justice Khosa also authored the famous ruling banning the second FIR in criminal cases and the Panamagate verdict.
