In a landmark moment for Pakistan, its first female judge, Supreme Court Justice Ayesha Malik, has been featured in the Forbes ‘50 over 50: Asia 2023’ list along with climate change minister Sherry Rehman. The list features extraordinary female leaders from the Asia Pacific region—all above 50—whose actions inspire the next generation of leaders in their countries.
This remarkable feat comes after Malik created history by becoming the first woman to serve as a judge in the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 2022, 75 years after its inception in 1947. As per Express Tribune, Malik was even listed as ‘one of the 100 most influential and inspiring women of 2022’ by BBC just a month ago, in December 2022. It goes without saying that her latest achievement has taken the country by storm.
From foreign ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Baloch to Dawn deputy editor Qurat ul Ain, Pakistani women in prominent positions took to Twitter to express their delight at Malik and Rehman’s triumph.
Pakistani women continue to excel. Supreme Court Justice Ayesha Malik now listed among 50 women over age 50 from Asia-Pacific “who are reaching new heights in their industries and inspiring the region’s next generation”.#ForbesOver50 pic.twitter.com/dVgGWSjCFI
— Mumtaz Baloch (@Mumtazzb) January 12, 2023
Pakistani women work so hard despite all the roadblocks in their way they are excelling Masha Allah. All by the blessings of Khudawand Taalah
— Qurat ul ain (@quratula1n_s) January 13, 2023
#Pakistani #women continue to make us proud globally. Minister of @ClimateChangePK, @sherryrehman and Supreme Court Justice Ayesha Malik just got mentioned in the recently published @Forbes 50 Over 50: Asia 2023 list.
According to Forbes, the list introduces women working pic.twitter.com/1fSFuw1ZVx
— Beti (@betinomisogyny) January 13, 2023
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Ayesha Malik: Pakistan’s powerhouse judge
Fifty-six-year-old Malik had previously served for over a decade in the Lahore High Court, “ruling on the enforcement of international arbitration in Pakistan, and sat on the Green Bench, advocating environmental justice,” wrote Forbes.
Malik issued what Forbes called “a seminal judgement,” outlawing the use of archaic ‘two-finger tests’ for sexual assault survivors and declaring them illegal and unconstitutional.
“She also served on the board of the Punjab Judicial Academy and as chair of the Judicial Officers Female Supervisory Committee,” says the magazine.
At the time of her appointment, Malik received a slew of congratulations from Ministers in Pakistan. Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry praised her “landmark elevation,” referring to her as “a symbol of women empowerment” in Pakistan.
Malik is currently the country’s senior-most serving judge and will likely become the Chief Justice in January 2030. If that remains the case, she will create history twice—as the country’s first female supreme court judge and then as the CJP.
According to the Pakistan Supreme Court website, Malik was educated at schools in Paris and New York before receiving her law degree from the Pakistan College of Law and her LLM from Harvard Law School. She started her career under Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim, one of Pakistan’s foremost legal experts.
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Sherry Rehman follows suit
Malik is not the only Pakistani woman to be lauded internationally. Climate Change Minister Sherry Rahman, who led from the front when Pakistan demanded compensation for climate-wrought damage at COP27, was also recognised by Forbes for path-breaking achievements in her field.
“Big polluters often try to greenwash their emissions, but you can’t walk away from the reality that big corporations that have net profits bigger than the GDPs of many countries need to take responsibility [for climate change],” Rehman had told The Guardian after Pakistan was devastated by floods last year.
Previously a journalist, Rehman was the first woman to hold office as leader of the opposition in its Senate in 2018. After serving four years, she was appointed Pakistan’s minister of Climate Change in 2022.
“We are on the frontline and intend to keep loss and damage and adapting to climate catastrophes at the core of our arguments and negotiations. There will be no moving away from that,” Rehman had boldly declared.
(Edited by Zoya Bhatti)