Newly minted Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi presided over the first full court session following his recent oath-taking.

The session was attended by all judges of the court except for Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, who is currently in Saudi Arabia for Umrah.

The full court session was called to address various judicial matters, including the concerns and reservations expressed by some judges.

Sources say Chief Justice Afridi announced the important session shortly after assuming his role. He had also reconstituted the Practice and Procedure Committee, with Justice Muneeb Akhtar reinstated as a member.

Previously, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and other senior judges had been asking former chief justice Qazi Faez Isa to convene a full court meeting, especially in light of the recently promulgated Practice and Procedure Amendment Ordinance. Unfortunately, the session could not be called.

Chief Justice Afridi formally started hearing cases from Monday. The CJP presided over the full court session before hearing the cases.

Justice Yahya Afridi took the oath of office as the 30th chief justice of Pakistan in a swearing-in ceremony at the President’s House on October 26. President Asif Ali Zardari administered the oath to the new chief justice.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, along with chief ministers, governors, federal ministers, and senior military officials, joined in the ceremony. High-ranking members of the legal fraternity, former chief justices and representatives from civil society were also present.