Justice Ali Baqar Najafi has officially taken oath as a judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Yahya Afridi, administered the oath on Wednesday.
The appointment notification for Justice Najafi was issued yesterday by the Ministry of Law, following the approval of the President of Pakistan.
Earlier, the Judicial Commission had approved his elevation to the Supreme Court on April 11.
Honourable Justice Ali Baqar Najafi – Profile
Born on 15th September 1963 in Lahore, Honourable Justice Ali Baqar Najafi is a distinguished member of Pakistan’s judiciary with an extensive background in legal practice, academia, and judicial service.
He began his academic journey at Government Muslim Model High School, Urdu Bazar, Lahore, and later earned a B.Sc. degree from Government College, Lahore. In 1989, he obtained his LL.B from Punjab University Law College, Lahore, and joined the legal profession the same year, following in the footsteps of his father, the late Ali Huzoor Najafi, Advocate Supreme Court.
Enrolled as an Advocate of the High Courts in 1990, and later as an Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Justice Najafi built a commendable legal career spanning over two decades. He conducted more than 1,000 cases in diverse areas including constitutional, civil, criminal, corporate, banking, customs, narcotics, anti-corruption, labour, immigration, Islamic law, and private international law, with several reported judgments to his name.
In parallel with his legal practice, he made significant contributions to legal education, serving as a faculty member at Punjab University Law College for 12 years, and teaching at various private law colleges for 18 years. He also worked as an Internal and External Examiner for Punjab University, specializing in Constitutional Law, International Law, Islamic Law, Land Laws, and Minor Acts.
Justice Najafi has contributed to legal journalism as the Editor of the Law Page in The News and as a writer for numerous magazines and newspapers, focusing on law and justice-related issues.
On 16th April 2012, he was elevated as a Judge of the Lahore High Court. Since then, he has rendered decisions in over 18,000 cases across a broad spectrum of legal areas including criminal, civil, constitutional, NAB, banking, corporate, anti-corruption, narcotics, murder references, family, rent, and labour cases. He has served at the principal seat in Lahore as well as at Multan, Rawalpindi, and Bahawalpur benches.
Justice Ali Baqar Najafi conducted the high-profile judicial inquiry into the Model Town incident (June 17, 2014), a pivotal event in Pakistan’s legal history. Internationally, he has represented Pakistan in several forums, including:
South Africa Legal Aid Workshop, Johannesburg (2017). Colloquium on Integrating Environmental Law Training, Johannesburg (2017). ILAG Conference, Johannesburg (2017). 8th Water Forum, Brasilia, Brazil (2018)
He has also visited the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the United States, Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia, enriching his global legal perspective.
Justice Ali Baqar Najafi is widely respected for his integrity, commitment to justice, and significant contributions to the development of Pakistan’s legal system.
