PESHAWAR: Peshawar High Court (PHC) chief justice on Tuesday, while acknowledging importance of female judges in judiciary, said that women have been performing their duties as judicial officers in far-flung mountainous areas with a mission to serve justice to all corners of the country. Addressing a full court reference held in honour of outgoing PHC Justice Irshad Qaiser, the chief justice lauded the services of the outgoing justice, who served the institution for over 35 years. The full court reference was attended by judges, registrars, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Judicial Academy director general, KP advocate general, deputy attorney general and members of Pakistan Bar Council. The chief justice said that working as a judge was not an easy job for anybody but for females, this field was almost prohibited at the time when Justice Irshad Qaiser took up this profession. “However, by her strong will, hard work, dedication and missionary zeal to serve the needy people, she passed through all such difficulties successfully,” he said, adding that Justice Irshad Qasier joined judicial service at a time when female folk could not dare to join the field of law and work either as a lawyer or judge. “She, as a judge, demonstrated high degree of courage and became a role model for all females related to the profession of law. She is amongst the pioneers for all such females for this profession and her role made the profession of law attractive for the women in the society, which was the dire need of the time,” he said. Similarly, he added, the honourable judge was also a great source of inspiration for female lawyers and it is the result of such inspiration that today, at every station, a considerable number of females were practicing very successfully in the field of law.