Justice Gulzar Ahmed sworn in as 27th Chief Justice of Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD -- Justice Gulzar Ahmed has taken oath as the 27th Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) and will serve till Feb 21, 2022.

In a ceremony held at Aiwan-e-Sadr, President Dr Arif Alvi administered the oath to Justice Ahmed, who has replaced Justice Asif Saeed Khosa as the chief justice.

Prime Minister Imran Khan, Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani and other ministers and officials were in attendance.

On Dec. 4, the Law Ministry had issued a notification of Justice Gulzar Ahmad's appointment as the new CJP. His appointed was approved by President Arif Alvi.

The notification issued by the law and justice secretary stated: 'In exercise of the powers conferred by Clause (3) of Article 175 A, read with Article 177 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President is pleased to appoint Mr Justice Gulzar Ahmed, the most senior judge of the Supreme Court, as Chief Justice of Pakistan with effect from December 21, 2019.'

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.

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...