The Ministry of Law and Justice (MoL&J) on Monday issued notification regarding appointment of senior puisne Supreme Court judge Justice Umar Ata Bandial as Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) from February 2.
The notification issued by Secretary MoL&J Raja Naeem Akbar stated that “In exercise of 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 Justice Umar Ata Bandial, the most senior judge of Supreme Court, as Chief Justice of Pakistan with effect from 02.02.2022.”
Justice Bandial will continue as the chief justice till his retirement on September 18, 2023, and will hold the position for 19 months.
CJP Gulzar Ahmed will retire after working in the top judicial position for more than two years. Justice Ahmed assumed office on December 21, 2019, replacing ex-CJP Justice Saqib Nisar.
Supreme Court judges, including the chief justice, retire once they are 65, while high court justices superannuate on reaching 62 years of age under the constitution.
