For the first time in the judicial history of Pakistan, two female judges of the Peshawar High Court formed a bench on Thursday.
Receiving a warm welcome by lawyers and litigants present inside the courtroom, the division bench, comprising Justice Irshad Qaisar and Justice Musarrat Hilali, heard cases relating to 73 petitions.
Apart from being a historic occasion, lawyers said it would project a softer image of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP). They added it would send a message to the world that Pakistani women could not only fly jets, treat patients and fight for the homeland but were also a part of the judiciary.
“Never in the judicial history of the country has there ever been such an occasion. None of the other high courts of the country has a bench comprising two female judges exclusively,” said Barrister Bacha.
Justice Qaisar became the second female judge after she took oath as PHC judge in July 2012 after a gap of 18 years. Justice Hilali became the third female PHC judge in March.
The first woman to enter the PHC as a judge was Justice Khalida Rashid, who took oath in 1994.
