Justice Hilali to take acting charge as first woman CJ of PHC.

PESHAWAR -- Justice Musarrat Hilali became the first female acting chief justice of the Peshawar High Court following her appointment by the president on Wednesday.

As PHC Chief Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan is set to retire on Thursday (today), the law and justice ministry issued two notifications for appointment of acting chief justices. Senior puisne judge Justice Rooh-ul-Amin Khan, who was also appointed acting chief justice, will serve as the CJ for only one day as he is scheduled to retire on March 31 (Friday).

As per the notification, Justice Hilali will act as the PHC chief justice from April 1 till the appointment of a regular chief justice on the recommendation of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP).

The JCP has yet to schedule a meeting under Article 175-A of the Constitution for the appointment of a regular chief justice of the PHC.

Born in Peshawar on Aug 8, 1961, Justice Hilali, who is presently the senior-most judge of the high court after Justice Rooh-ul-Amin Khan, will retire on Aug 7 this year.

She received her law degree from Khyber Law College, University of Peshawar, and was enrolled as an advocate of district courts in 1983. She was enrolled as an advocate of the high court in 1988 and that of the Supreme Court in 2006.

Justice Hilali has earned several distinctions in her career - first as a civil society activist and member of the bar and then her elevation to the bench. Known as an outspoken human rights activist, she remained office-bearer of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and also headed its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter on different occasions.

Justice Hilali was an active member of the Peshawar High Court Bar...