Justice Mansoor Ali Shah - the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court -was sworn in as the acting chief justice of Pakistan on Monday.

The oath-taking ceremony was held at the Supreme Court, with a gathering of judges, senior lawyers, attorneys general, and judicial staff in attendance.

Justice Muneeb Akhtar administered the oath of office to Justice Mansoor Ali Shah. The appointment comes ahead of Chief Justice Yahya Afridi's official visit to China from April 22 to 26, during which time Justice Shah will serve as the Acting Chief Justice.

According to an announcement by the Supreme Court, Chief Justice Yahya Afridi will be leading a high-level delegation to represent Pakistan at the Conference of Chief Justices of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member countries.

During the visit, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is expected to be signed between the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the Supreme Court of China. Chief Justice Afridi is also scheduled to meet his Iranian counterpart on the sidelines of the conference.

The delegation accompanying Chief Justice Afridi includes Justice Aminuddin Khan, Justice Shahid Waheed, District and Sessions Judge Gwadar Zafar Jan, and Senior Civil Judge Lucky Marwat Nadia Gul Wazir.

Notably, Justice Shahid Waheed will also address a session on the use of artificial intelligence in the judiciary during the conference.

Following the conclusion of the conference, Chief Justice Afridi will travel to Turkey to participate in the celebrations marking the 63rd anniversary of the Constitutional Court.

Justice Mansoor Ali Shah will continue in his role as the acting Chief Justice during this period until Chief Justice Afridi returns to Pakistan.