Pakistan’s First Female Supreme Court Judge Sworn In

Pakistan’s first female Supreme Court judge Ayesha Malik has been sworn in in the capital Islamabad.

Malik, aged 55, now sits on a bench with 16 other male colleagues in the Muslim-majority country’s top court. Lawyers and activists said it was a rare victory after decades of struggle to get representation for women in Pakistan’s male-dominated society.

Some lawyers and judges opposed Justice Malik’s appointment as she was seen to be less senior than other candidates.

Pakistan’s judiciary has been historically conservative and male-dominated.

It is the only South Asian country to have never had a female Supreme Court judge, according to Human Rights Watch. In addition, only 4% of Pakistan’s high court judges are women.

Justice Malik, who was educated at the Pakistan College of Law and Harvard University, has served as a high court judge in the city of Lahore in eastern Pakistan for the last two decades.

She is seen to have played an important role in challenging patriarchal legal mores in the province.

Last year, she outlawed the use of so-called “virginity tests” during rape examinations of sexual assault victims and some activists have hailed Justice Malik’s elevation as a historic appointment.

Justice Malik’s appointment has been criticised by some and last year her elevation to the same post was voted down.

Her appointment to the Supreme Court was hotly contested once again this time around, with the nine-member commission passing her appointment by five votes to four.