Justice Ali Baqar Najafi Sworn in as Supreme Court Judge

Islamabad: Justice Ali Baqar Najafi of the Lahore High Court (LHC) was sworn in as a Justice of the Supreme Court on Wednesday, following his nomination by the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP).

The swearing-in took place a day after President Asif Ali Zardari officially appointed Justice Najafi to the Supreme Court, an announcement made by the Ministry of Law and Justice on Tuesday.

The official notification stated, “Under the authority granted by clause (1) of Article 177, combined with clause (8) of Article 175A of the Constitution of Pakistan, the President of Pakistan has approved the appointment of Justice Ali Baqar Najafi, Judge of the Lahore High Court, to the position of Judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, effective from the date of his oath of office.”

Early Life and Education

Born in Lahore on September 15, 1963, Justice Najafi received his early education at Government Muslim Model School. He then earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Government College, Lahore, and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from Punjab University Law College in 1989.

Legal Career

Justice Najafi began his legal practice in Lahore in 1989, initially serving as an apprentice before joining his father, the late Ali Huzoor Najafi, a Supreme Court Advocate. He was admitted as an Advocate of the High Courts in 1990 and later as a Supreme Court Advocate.

During his two decades at the Bar, Justice Najafi distinguished himself as a skilled legal advocate, managing over 1,000 cases and contributing to several significant judgments.

His legal expertise spanned a wide array of fields, including Constitutional, Civil, Criminal, Corporate, Banking, Customs, Narcotics, Anti-Corruption, Labour, Immigration, and Islamic Laws, in addition to Private International Law. He also showed a strong dedication to public interest litigation and human rights cases.

Judicial Career

On April 16, 2012, Justice Najafi was elevated to the position of Judge of the LHC, owing to his exceptional legal skills and commitment to justice. Since his appointment, he has presided over more than 37,000 cases across various legal areas, such as Criminal, Civil, Constitutional, Human Rights, National Accountability Bureau, Banking, Company, Anti-Corruption, Narcotics, Murder References, Family, Rent, and Labour matters.

He has served at the main seat and all its benches, including Multan, Rawalpindi, and Bahawalpur.

Notably, Justice Najafi also led a key judicial inquiry into the Model Town incident of June 17, 2014, in which 14 individuals were killed.