Mr. Justice Umar Ata Bandial Hon’ble Chief Justice of Pakistan

Justice Umar Ata Bandial was born on 17.09.1958 in Lahore. He received his elementary and secondary education at different schools in Kohat, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Lahore. He secured his B.A. (Economics) degree from Columbia University, USA followed by a Law Tripos degree from Cambridge University, UK and qualified as Barrister-at-Law from Lincoln’s Inn, London. In 1983 he enrolled as an Advocate of the Lahore High Court and some years later, as an Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

In his law practice at Lahore Justice Umar Ata Bandial mostly dealt with commercial, banking, tax and property matters. After 1993 until his elevation, Justice Umar Ata Bandial also handled international commercial disputes. He appeared in arbitration matters before the Supreme Court of Pakistan and also before ICC, ICSID and other international arbitral tribunals in London and Paris, respectively.

Justice Umar Ata Bandial was elevated as a Judge of the Lahore High Court on 04.12.2004. He declined oath under PCO in November, 2007 but was restored as a result of the lawyers and civil society movement for revival of the Judiciary and Constitutional rule in the country. Later, he served for two years as Chief Justice, Lahore High Court until his elevation as a Judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on 17.06.2014. He was sworn in as the 28th Chief Justice of Pakistan on 02.02.2022. 

During his tenure as Judge of the Lahore High Court and the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Justice Umar Ata Bandial rendered judgments on a number of important public law and private law issues. These include pronouncements on civil and commercial disputes, Constitutional disputes and public interest matters.

Justice Umar Ata Bandial has attended

Law Seminar on International Criminal Law at Hague (2012);

1. Commonwealth Regional Consultative Meeting on Judicial Services Commission Model Law Kuala Lumpur (2015);
2. 13thConference of Presidents of Supreme Courts of SCO Member States at Beijing (2018); and
3. 11th International Legal Forum of the Asia-Pacific Region on Justice and Economic Integration Development in the Asia-Pacific (Virtual Event, 2021).
4. He taught Contract Law and Torts Law at the Punjab University Law College, Lahore until 1987 and remained a member of its Graduate Studies Committee while serving as Judge Lahore High Court