Ayesha Malik sworn in as first woman judge of Pak SC

Islamabad: Ayesha Malik was sworn in as the first female supreme court judge of Pakistan on Monday, a landmark occasion in a nation where activists say the law is often wielded against women. Malik, 55, was administered the oath by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed at the the top court’s ceremonial hall in the capital Islamabad, where she now sits on the bench alongside 16 male colleagues.
Information minister Fawad Chaudhry congratulated Malik on her “landmark elevation”. “A powerful picture symbolises women empowerment in Pakistan,” he tweeted, adding that he hopes she will be an asset to the country’s “judicial hierarchy”. “I congratulate Justice Ayesha Malik for becoming the first female judge of the Supreme Court,” PM Imran Khan said in a tweet.
Her appointment was unusually contentious. Eyebrows were raised when Malik was picked despite being fourth on the seniority list of judges of the Lahore high court. Last year, Malik, who was educated at Harvard University, outlawed a deeply invasive and medically discredited examination used to determine a woman’s level of sexual experience. She has been credited with rolling back patriarchal legal mores in her jurisdiction.