Justice Yahya Afridi has been nominated as the Chief Justice of Pakistan through a special parliamentary committee established under the 26th Constitutional Amendment. The 12-member committee reached this decision during its first closed-door session at Parliament House Committee Room 5, marking a significant shift from the traditional seniority-based succession.
The nomination represents a historic moment as Justice Afridi becomes the first person from the former tribal areas to hold this prestigious position. Three members from the Sunni Ittehad Council boycotted the session, but the committee proceeded to approve the nomination with a two-thirds majority.
Justice Afridi, known for his apolitical stance and impartial judgment throughout his career, brings a strong academic and professional background to the role. He completed his early education at Aitchison College Lahore, graduated from Government College Lahore, and earned an MA in Economics from Punjab University. He further enhanced his credentials with an LLM from Cambridge University on a Commonwealth Scholarship.
His legal career began in 1990 at the High Court, followed by his appointment as a Supreme Court advocate in 2004. Before his judicial career, he served as Assistant Advocate General for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Afridi's judicial journey included positions as Additional Judge and permanent Judge of Peshawar High Court, eventually becoming its Chief Justice in December 2016. He was elevated to the Supreme Court in June 2018.
Legal experts view this appointment as a successful implementation of the 26th Constitutional Amendment, which aims to reform the judicial system. The selection demonstrates a shift from seniority-based appointments to merit-based choices, representing greater inclusion of smaller provinces in the superior judiciary.
