A look at newly-appointed CJP Gulzar Ahmed's prolific career

Dunya News

Justice Gulzar Ahmed has sworn in as new CJP for more than two years.

LAHORE (Dunya News) - The newly-appointed Chief Justice of Pakistan, Gulzar Ahmed, has witnessed a prolific judicial career througout his life which has landed him as the 27th CJP. 

Justice Ahmed was born on February 2, 1957, in Karachi to the family of Noor Muhammad, a distinguished lawyer. His elementary schooling was from the metropolis’ Gulistan School, according to the Supreme Court website. He then went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree from Government National College, Karachi following which he obtained his law degree from S.M. Law College, Karachi.

He enrolled as an advocate on January 18, 1986, and joined the High Court on April 4, 1988. Subsequently, he became an advocate of the Supreme Court on September 15, 2001. He was sworn in as a Sindh High Court judge on August 27, 2002.

It is pertinent to mention here that he had a prolific judicial career, and was the honorary secretary of the Sindh High Court Bar Association in Karachi for the year 1999-2000.

CJP Ahmed was notified as Senior Puisne Judge of the SHC on Feb 14, 2011, and was elevated to Supreme Court later that year on November 16.

Justice Gulzar also attended “18th Intensive Study Programme for Judicial Educators” conducted by Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute, Canada held on 5-24 June, 2011 with sessions at Halifax, Ottawa and Toronto, Canada and conferred Fellowship by the Institute.

He was notified as Senior Puisne Judge of the High Court of Sindh on 14th February, 2011 and was elevated as Judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on November 16, 2011. He attended “International Judicial Conference” as Co-Chair for thematic group “Parental Child Abduction & Transnational Jurisdiction” held on 19-21 April, 2013 at Islamabad.

Justice Ahmed, who was part of the five-judge bench that disqualified former premier Nawaz Sharif in the Panama Papers case, is also a member of the Supreme Judicial Council and Judicial Commission of Pakistan.

His strict action during suo motu proceedings regarding Karachi led to a massive anti-encroachment and cleanliness drive by the metropolitan authorities, though it also created some consternation among the people.

Throughout his legal practice, he mostly remained on the civil-corporate side, serving as the legal advisor to numerous multinational and local companies, banks and financial institutions.