Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan took oath as a judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) on Monday, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Qazi Faez Isa administered the oath.  

After the oath-taking of Afghan, the number of judges in the apex court rose to 14, while three seats are still vacant.

Senior judges, lawyers and the court staff were present on the occasion.

Justice Afghan’s elevation to the country’s top court had been approved by former president Arif Alvi last week under Article 175(A) of the Constitution.

Earlier, the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) had green-lighted the appointment of Justice Afghan, who was previously serving as chief justice of the Balochistan High Court (BHC).

Born in 1963, Justice Afghan, the son of a retired government servant, holds a degree in Economics and Statistics and an LLB from Degree College Quetta and University Law College Quetta, respectively.

He was enrolled as an advocate of BHC in 1989 and later as an advocate of the SC in 2001.

The SC judge practiced law for 21 years in BHC, Federal Shariat Court and the apex court during which he conducted innumerable criminal, civil, and constitutional cases which have also been reported in law journals.

In 2011, he was elevated to the post of an additional judge of the BHC followed by his appointment as a judge in 2012 and eventually as the province's top court's chief justice in 2021.

Reporter: Amanat Gishkori