Ayesha Malik, 55, will sit alongside 16 men on the country’s top court. She was educated at the Pakistan College of Law and Harvard University and has served as a judge in the city of Lahore for the past two decades.

Ms Malik, who outlawed the use of so-called “virginity tests” during rape examinations last year, failed in her bid to join the court in 2021. She succeeded this time by five votes to four.

Islamabad-based lawyer Zarmeeneh Rahim told the New York Times: “If women continue to be shackled by patriarchy and regressive interpretations of Islam, we will continue to not progress in terms of developing the human capital required to succeed nationally and globally.”

She added: “To finally see a woman sit on the highest court in the land is a small step forward in that struggle.”