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| Peshawar High Court's first woman Chief Justice: 'Musrat Hilali dares to say what is right |
In the judicial history of Pakistan, Justice Musrat Hilali is the first woman judge to be appointed as Chief Justice of Peshawar High Court.
According to the announcement issued by the Peshawar High Court, she will take over as Acting Chief Justice on April 1, while before that, Justice Rooh Ul Amin will be appointed as Chief Justice for one day.
He will be appointed as Chief Justice on March 31 and will retire on April 1.
Musrat Hilali is the most senior judge of the Peshawar High Court after Justice Roohul Amin and will continue to serve as Acting Chief Justice from April 1 until the process of appointing a regular Chief Justice is completed by the Judicial Commission of Pakistan. It doesn't happen.
Musrat Hilali studied law at Khyber Law College, University of Peshawar, after which he started practicing law in the District Courts in 1983.
After that, she was qualified as an advocate in the High Court in 1988 and in the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 2006.
Musrat Hilali's judicial career has also been outstanding. He was appointed as Additional Judge in 2013 and then in 2014, he was appointed as a Permanent Judge of the Peshawar High Court.
Before being appointed judge, Justice Hilali served as First Secretary and Vice President of the Peshawar High Court Bar at various times.
He has also served as Additional Advocate General Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Chairperson of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Environmental Protection Tribunal, and Ombudsman against Harassment of Women at Workplaces.
Confident personality: Musrat Hilali remains an ideal lawyer.
Lawyers working with Justice Musrat Hilali say that she has overturned the negative perception of women over the past few decades.
Senior lawyer Shabbir Gagiani Advocate told the BBC that Justice Musrat Hilali started practicing law at a time when there were very few women lawyers practicing in Peshawar and Justice Hilali excelled as a lawyer through her ability and struggle. And got an important position in the judiciary.
Peshawar's senior female lawyer Farhana Marwat says that Musrat Hilali has been an ideal lawyer for her because of her confident personality and her work for human rights.
He said that even when he became a judge, he paid more attention to the cases of missing persons in addition to those related to human rights.
According to Farhana Marwat, she has appeared in Justice Hilali's court as a lawyer and it is her experience that she "understood the nature of the case better during hearings".
He said that "in family cases, Justice Musrat Hilali used to try to make the best decision for the family so that the family can be saved and the children are not affected."
Senior lawyer Ishaq Qazi Advocate says, "Justice Musrat Hilali dared to say the right thing as a lawyer."
"He fought for human rights and if there was a violation of human rights anywhere in Pakistan, he was there to get justice."
Justice Musrat Hilali as Judge
Justice Musrat Hilali took oath as a judge at a time when extremism was at its peak in the province and cases of enforced disappearances were being reported in large numbers during those days, while laws like the Action in Aid of Civil Power Regulation were being enacted in those days. Also came out.
Former Justice Younis Thiem, who worked with him as a judge in the Peshawar High Court, says that Justice Musrat Hilali is very capable and professional.
According to former Justice Yunus Thiem, Justice Hilali made important decisions for the delivery of justice and among them the appeals against the decisions of the military courts and the decisions about the FCR are noteworthy.
Ishaq Qazi Advocate says that Justice Musrat Hilali "never stopped his decisions and made decisions according to the requirements of justice." They did what they felt was right and did not think about what the effects or implications might be.