Justice Bahar sworn in as acting Chief Justice of AJK High Court

Justice Syed Shahid Bahar, the senior puisne judge of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) High Court, was sworn in as acting chief justice of the court on Tuesday. 

The oath, which coincided with Justice Bahar’s 60th birth anniversary, was administered by AJK acting president Chaudhry Latif Akbar at a well-attended ceremony held at the President’s House. 

Justice Bahar will perform the functions of acting chief justice until the return of Chief Justice Sardar Liaquat Hussain on June 8 from Saudi Arabia, where he flew early on Tuesday to perform Hajj. 

The ceremony was attended by AJK’s senior minister for law, justice and parliamentary affairs Mian Abdul Waheed, former chief justices Syed Manzoor Hussain Gillani, Chaudhry Ibrahim Zia and Sadaqat Hussain Raja, Islamabad High Court Bar Association president Syed Wajid Ali Gilani, former vice chairman of the Islamabad Bar Council Barrister Syed Qamar Hussain Shah Sabzwari, Jammu Kashmir Council for Human Rights president Dr Syed Nazir Gillani, senior civil servants, and a large number of members of the bench and bar from Muzaffarabad and other districts of AJK.

Justice Bahar descends from a distinguished intellectual lineage in Muzaffarabad, a family whose name is synonymous with the region's literary and educational evolution. He is the son of the late Syed Bahauddin Bahar, a pioneering educationist widely revered for bringing the "flame of learning" to the once-inaccessible reaches of the Neelum Valley. This legacy of public service and scholarship was carried forward by his elder sisters, Syeda Amina Bahar Roona and Syeda Sajida Bahar, both of whom served with distinction in the education sector as dedicated teachers and capable administrators. Ms. Roona, in particular, has earned a lasting reputation as an acclaimed poet. One of his brothers-in-law, Syed Saleem Gardezi, retired as a senior civil servant and is also a seasoned author with several books to his credit. 

The family’s influence extends deep into the realm of letters and civic engagement through Justice Bahar's younger brother, Syed Arif Bahar. A prominent journalist and author in his own right, Syed Arif Bahar twice served as president of the Central Press Club Muzaffarabad. His spouse, Gulzar Fatima, is a former Member of the AJK Legislative Assembly, who currently serves as the secretary of the Pakistan Red Crescent Society’s AJK chapter, leading key humanitarian initiatives in the region.

Together, the siblings represent a generational commitment to the intellectual and cultural advancement of their homeland, rooted in their father's foundational work.

    Tariq Naqash