The president of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Yahya Afridi, went on Monday to a judicial conference in the Supreme Court, marking the beginning of the new judicial year.
The conference occurs days after the senior judge of Puisne, Judge Mansoor Ali Shah, wrote a letter to the CJP Aphridi, asking him to answer six questions he raised about the judicial independence, the rules and policies of the court, and the appeals against the 26 amendment.
Judge Afridi noted that the conference, initiated in 1970, provided the Court the opportunity to reflect on their performance. He said that after assuming the CJP office in October 2024, he felt the need for reforms, which were classified according to “five principles.”
“We prioritize the provision of services through technology, transparency in cases and the legal framework,” said the CJP. By pointing out that the Apex court had eight sections, CJP Afridi said that each section prioritized rapid justice.
Highlighting the meetings held to discuss the SC reform plan, the superior judge said that the digital presentation and the monitoring of cases were among the measures raised.
SC judges and the judges of the Superior Court attended the conference. Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan, the vice president of the Council of the Bar Association of Pakistan, Tahir Nasrullah Warraich, and the president of the Bar Association of the Supreme Court (SCBA), Mian Rouf Atta, also boarded the event.
“Everyone talks about artificial technology and intelligence,” Judge Afridi said, adding that 61,000 files will be screened digitally under a project that will be completed within six months.
“The cases will be solved using artificial intelligence,” he announced. However, he warned, the judiciary “was not yet ready” to use the AI. The use of AI would begin once the digital scanning project is completed, according to the CJP.
Judge Afridi also spoke of a facilitation center, which will begin its operations on October 1 and will provide “all the details” related to the cases. Reiterating the need for rapid cases of cases, he said: “We have always worked for the supremacy of the law.”
Emphasizing that the rules cannot be done within a single day, the judge said that the suggestions will be presented to a proposal committee, which would then make recommendations.
During his speech, the president of the Supreme Court also said that the security he provided to him and other judges has been reduced, as well as the protocols in the red zone of Islamabad, which houses key government buildings.
“I used to have nine safety vehicles with me, so I said that so much security was needed within the red zone, since it has the court and residences,” recalled the superior judge, and added that he now only had two safety vehicles.
He commented that the judges may need security when leaving Islamabad, but not so much when they were in the red zone.
Indirectly responding to one of the questions raised in the letter of Judge Shah about the CJP that has powers to grant or reject the leaves of the judges, Judge Aphridi said: “The issue of the leaves of the judges is clearly established in the rules of the Supreme Court.
“No judge needs permission [for leave] During judicial vacations, but apart from that, it is required to inform [the court] About that. “
Last month, the SC issued a series of political decisions made between October 26, 2024 and August 12, 2025. A decision, reflected in a permanent general order of July 29, 2025, modified the judges of the Supreme Court (license, pension and privileges), order of 1997, to train the CJP to grant or reject the license, inside or out of Pakistan, or to revoke the license of the judges that are already granted to the Court.
Continuing with his speech, Judge Afridi said that the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) had decided 64 complaints against the judges, 72 had been sent to the members of the Council and 65 were pending, which would be considered at the SJC meeting at the end of this month.
By stating that the court was taking cases at the base of “by order of arrival”, the superior judge clarified that the court would not hear cases outside of order.
More to follow
