ISLAMABAD  –  Supreme Court Judge Justice Ayesha A Malik has received the International Leader/Lifetime Award at the Justitia Awards 2026 Gala in Vienna, Austria. According to a statement issued by the Supreme Court, the award recognised her contribution to the development of law and justice and her efforts to advance equality, human rights and women’s participation in the legal profession and institutions of justice. During her visit to Vienna, Justice Malik also participated in the Women in Law Conference 2026, where she addressed a session titled “Roadmap to Equality and Women’s Rights in Practice.”  Speaking about her professional journey, from her appointment to the Lahore High Court in 2012 to becoming the first woman judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 2022, she discussed the challenges and opportunities associated with serving as a woman judge. She also highlighted the importance of incorporating a gender perspective into legal reasoning and judicial practice. Justice Malik said the pursuit of equality must extend beyond formal legal guarantees and take into account the contexts in which women experience and engage with the law.

She stressed the need for legal principles and judicial institutions to respond effectively to women’s lived realities and referred to aspects of her jurisprudence concerning dignity, equality and the treatment of women within the justice system. The award was presented before judges, lawyers and legal professionals from different jurisdictions.