ISLAMABAD: Describing the district judiciary as the most precious jewel in the crown of Pakistan’s judicial system, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi on Friday unveiled a road map for safeguarding the judges from external influences by empowering, protecting and providing institutional support to ensure independent discharge of their duties.
“It is my dream to see an aggrieved citizen walk confidently into the court of magistrate or a civil court in his own local town instead of being burdened to approach the high court or the Supreme Court for seeking redressal of his grievances,” CJP observed while speaking at a symposium marking the International Day for Judicial Wellbeing under the theme ‘The Human Dimension of Responsive Justice’.
The event brought together judges of the superior and district judiciary, legal experts, development partners, and institutional stakeholders for a landmark dialogue on judicial wellbeing in Pakistan here at the Federal Judicial Academy (FJA).
In his keynote address, CJP underscored the urgent need to humanise judicial reforms by recognising the emotional, psychological, and institutional pressures faced by judges, particularly at the district level.
The judge who is institutionally supported is always fair, supportive and effectively responsive, the CJP observed but said when the wellbeing of the district judiciary was at the centre stage, it is expected that its members remain committed to the highest ideals of the public service.
The members of the district judiciary must be diligent, disciplined, respectful, polite, humble and empathetic toward the citizen they serve, he emphasised.
“These standards are not an additional burden but always for them to honour their role – a role that matters not so much to the judiciary but to the entire nation,” CJP observed.
Referring to the superior judiciary, Mr Afridi shared, the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) was also seized with the issue and deliberating on how to protect judges from extraneous pressures.
Sharing a number of concrete short- and medium-term reform policies adopted by the National Judicial Policy Making Committee (NJPMC) — a committee comprising all chief justices of the high courts and headed by the CJP, he said a committee had been formed with the decision that each high court will formulate clear guidelines for members of the district judiciary to follow in case they face any extraneous influences.
Along with the defined response of the high court to counter such instance, he said he had also invited the chief justices of the high courts to consider incorporating the role of CJP in the response framework to ensure strong and unified institutional support.
The message must be clear to all that CJP will stand to support independent, honest and steadfast judicial officers,“ he said.
The CJP also recalled how issues such as the performance evaluation mechanism of district judges, standardisation of their recruitment process, parity in service conditions, and access to international exposure were raised during his meetings with district judiciary members on his visits.
“Instead of deciding their destiny from the Supreme Court, let the district judiciary deliberate and propose to the apex court what should be done,” he stated.
In this regard, Justice Rehmat Hussain Jaffery — a retired Supreme Court judge with experience in the district judiciary — has been nominated to head a committee, also including Balochistan High Court Chief Justice Rozi Khan as a member.
One of the most critical aspects of the justice system, the CJP emphasised, is the institutionalisation of arbitration. He revealed that 20 trained and expert judges are already available in the judiciary for this purpose.
He announced that one district from each high court’s jurisdiction will be selected to implement this arbitration mandate. Progress will be reviewed after three months, and if successful, the model will be expanded to other districts.
Ethical guidelines for AI use
The CJP recalled how NJPMC discussed on ethical guidelines for the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Undoubtedly given the rise of AI and its benefits, it is our top priority to integrate the concept into the justice delivery system, he said.
He added the the Supreme Court was in contact with the Supreme Court of Peoples Republic of China and that of the Constitutional Court of Turkiye to enter into memorandum of understanding for judicial cooperation for a period of five years.
