District courts dispose of over 1.3 million cases as NJPMC reviews progress on backlog reduction

ISLAMABAD, Jun 11 (APP):Chief Justice of Pakistan on Thursday chaired the 60th meeting of the National Judicial (Policy Making) Committee (NJPMC) at the Supreme Court of Pakistan, where senior judges and government officials reviewed judicial reforms, case disposal performance and measures aimed at improving access to justice.

The meeting was attended by the Chief justices of the Lahore High Court, Peshawar High Court and High Court of Sindh, the senior puisne judge of the Islamabad High Court, the Secretary Ministry of Law and Justice and the Chairman of the Higher Education Commission.

Discussing cases of enforced disappearances, the committee was informed that the federal government had, in principle, agreed to establish a separate commission comprising former Supreme Court judge Justice (Retd.) Manzoor Ahmad Malik and National Commission for Human Rights Chairperson Rabiya Javeri Agha. The proposed body would provide a redress mechanism and oversee the implementation of legal provisions requiring the production of arrested persons before a court within 24 hours.

The NJPMC also reviewed the disposal of time-bound categories of cases and praised the performance of the high courts and district judiciary. It noted that district courts disposed of 1.319 million cases between September 1, 2025 and May 31, 2026, reflecting significant progress in reducing case backlogs. The Lahore High Court recorded the highest disposal figure with more than 1.065 million cases, followed by the Peshawar High Court, High Court of Sindh, Islamabad High Court and High Court of Balochistan.

The NJPMC appreciated efforts led by the Chief Justice of the High Court of Balochistan to develop a legislative and policy framework aimed at discouraging false and frivolous litigation. It directed the Law and Justice Commission Secretariat to circulate the proposed framework among all high courts for consideration.

The committee also approved a series of administrative reforms to facilitate speedy and cost-effective adjudication of banking disputes. These included reviewing the workload of banking courts, establishing additional courts where necessary, arranging specialized training for judges, ensuring adherence to statutory timelines and strengthening oversight mechanisms to improve efficiency and accountability.

On the issue of court working days, the committee considered proposals from the Lahore and Peshawar High Courts seeking reconsideration of the policy of observing three weekly holidays in the district judiciary. After reviewing the prevailing situation, it decided that district courts may revert to a six-day working week in accordance with the schedule that existed before the implementation of judicial austerity and energy conservation measures. The committee, however, urged the high courts to continue adopting resource management and energy-saving initiatives.

The NJPMC further discussed the establishment of specialized benches for company cases, regular integration of data into the National Judicial Analytics Dashboard, and the introduction of short diploma courses for judicial officers in collaboration with universities, the Higher Education Commission and judicial academies.

The committee highlighted vacancies in the district judiciary and called for concrete measures to ensure that courts function at their full sanctioned strength. It also decided to hold a National Conference on Judicial Wellbeing at the Supreme Court on July 25, 2026, to recognize the contribution of district judiciary officers and showcase reform initiatives undertaken by the high courts.

The meeting also emphasized strengthening coordination between the bench and bar to make the justice system more responsive and citizen-centric. The committee appreciated the Lahore High Court’s biometric verification mechanism and recommended that its standard operating procedures be shared with other high courts as a model of best practice.

The meeting concluded with appreciation for the efforts of the high courts, the Ministry of Law and Justice and the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan Secretariat in strengthening the administration of justice and enhancing public confidence in the judicial system.