Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial administered on Friday the oath to Justice Mussarat Hilali, making her the second female in the history of Pakistan to become a judge of the Supreme Court (SC).

The CJP administered the oath during a ceremony held at the ceremonial hall of the SC attended by Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan, along with senior judges and lawyers.

The number of SC judges has now increased to 16 out of a total sanctioned strength of 17.

Hilali’s appointment was approved on Wednesday by President Dr Arif Alvi.

Earlier, an eight-member parliamentary committee on judges’ appointments approved the unanimous approval given by the Judicial Commission of Pakistan on June 14 to elevate Justice Hilali to the apex court.

Justice Hilali, who previously served as the Peshawar High Court chief justice, was born in Peshawar on August 8, 1961.

She received her law degree from Khyber Law College, University of Peshawar, and was enrolled as an advocate of district courts in 1983. She was enrolled as an advocate of the high court in 1988 and that of the Supreme Court in 2006.

She also served as the first woman additional advocate general from November 2001 to March 2004 and as chairperson of the KP Environmental Protection Tribunal as well.