HRCP hails appointment of Justice Ayesha to SC

LAHORE: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) welcomed the appointment of Justice Ayesha Malik to the Supreme Court of Pakistan. "As the first woman judge appointed to the apex court in the country’s judicial history, this is an important step towards improving gender diversity in the judiciary."

In a press release Friday, the HRCP said, “Nonetheless, addressing Pakistan’s gender disparity—and indeed other forms of disparity on the grounds of class, ethnicity or religion—on the bench and in the bar warrants a more proactive, long-term approach that tackles structural discrimination and casual sexism in the legal community. This entails appointing competent women to decision-making positions such as the Judicial Commission of Pakistan and investing resources in making the legal profession, including education, training and other opportunities for professional development, more easily available to women. Additionally, the nomination and appointment procedure should be made transparent and more democratic to avoid controversies.” “A more gender-diverse judiciary will have far-reaching effects on people’s access to justice and the quality of justice,” the HRCP said.