Islamabad:
Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Yahya Afridi has assured that the country’s supreme judiciary supports any honest justice officer as he announced sweeping institutional reforms – towards introducing two legal changes to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into legal processes.
When he spoke at a conference held at the Federal Judicial Academy in Islamabad on Friday, CJP emphasized the judiciary’s commitment to both structural reforms and its officers.
“While the judges are expected to remain composed, impartial and in principle, they are also human and require care,” he noted, adding that the judges in the district form an important part of the justice system.
CJP Afridi announced several initiatives discussed, including the creation of a commercial trial corridor – a trait that will centralize business issues under dedicated benches at the Supreme Court and Supreme Court level to ensure consistency and reduce delays.
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He also highlighted the proposed double-docked regime that involved the introduction of morning and evening track changes. However, the idea is left to the discretion of provincial high courts that will present their input in a follow -up meeting scheduled for August 18.
On the criminal side, model Criminal Trial Courts will be appointed to take the elders in pending litigation before the courts of the sessions. These cases will be heard daily to accelerate justice.
Significant development also came in the form of court-anexet mediation. CJP Afridi said 20 trained Judicial officers will lead mediation efforts, starting with a district in each province. Progress will be reviewed after three months before the expansion is considered.
He also announced that the judiciary was preparing to incorporate ethical use of AI into legal processes. “Integrating AI into our justice system is a highest priority, but its adoption must not be blind or uncritical,” CJP said, revealing that the National Judicial Automation Committee, led by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, has been tasked with developing an ethical framework.
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CJP also affected legal appointments and said that decisions on the allocation of legal responsibility to competent lawyers in both subordinate courts and high courts would be made in consultation with stakeholders.
A committee led by retired Supreme Court Judge Rahmat Hussain Jafri has been set up for wider institutional reform, including Chief Justice of the Balochistan High Court Justice Rozi Khan, all Supreme Court Registrators and DG from Federal Judicial Academy.
CJP said court education agreements had been signed with the supreme peoples’ court in China and the Supreme Court in Turkiye, where 30 Pakistan Legal Officers will receive education in China next year.
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“I can assure you that Chief Justice of Pakistan is committed to your welfare,” he said to the collection, adding, “the whole legal institution stands with the subordinate courts. But institutional reform takes time.”
With the event, Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb emphasized the enormous pressure facing the judiciary. “Whether it is the legal workload or executive responsibility when the pressure mounts, the delivery of justice suffers,” he noted.
He emphasized the need to recognize the contribution of the judiciary and noted that courts in Pakistan – from district benches to superior courts – constitute the country’s heaviest workload. “Justice delivery must be seen with respect and dignity. This is our demands from both the exercise and the state,” he added.
