Afghan president nominates first female judge to SC

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday nominated a female judge to sit on the Supreme Court in an unprecedented move that has angered some Islamic conservatives.

Anisa Rasouli, the head of the Afghan Women Judges Association and a former juvenile court judge, was the only female nominated to the nine-member bench after the announcement was delayed due to opposition by a group of Islamic conservatives earlier this month.

“I’m proud to announce that for the very first time I have nominated a woman to the Supreme Court,” Ghani told a gathering of diplomats and women’s rights activists.

“Appointing a woman to the Supreme Court does not alter the judicial system. We do have <g data-gr-id="15">full</g> support of the Ulema (Islamic scholars) for it,” he added.

The nomination, which requires approval by parliament, is part of efforts by Ghani’s unity government to promote more women to high-profile positions since he and his Chief Executive Officer <g data-gr-id="20">Abdullah Abdullah</g> assumed office last September.