ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Chief Justice Yahya Afridi on Monday said the Supreme Court was expanding partnerships with judicial bodies in Muslim countries and finalizing an ethics charter on artificial intelligence to improve court efficiency.

Justice Afridi was speaking at the Judicial Conference in Islamabad, which is held to mark the beginning of the judicial year. The ceremony was attended by senior judges of the country and members of bar councils to highlight the judiciary’s performance and initiatives. 

The Pakistani judge said that in an interconnected world, it is not possible to strengthen judicial institutions in isolation. He mentioned that the top court had prepared a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Supreme People’s Court of China, while a draft MoU with the Constitutional Court of Türkiye is also under review. 

“This Court is also engaged in cooperative exchanges with the Supreme Courts of Bangladesh, Iran, Azerbaijan, and Denmark, and efforts are underway to expand collaboration with the Muslim World League of Saudi Arabia,” Justice Afridi said. 

The Pakistani judge hoped these partnerships would lead to the strengthening of the Supreme Court’s institutional capacity and bring global best practices into Pakistan’s judicial system.

Justice Afridi also spoke about technological reforms taken by the court to improve its efficiency and transform its functions. He said the Supreme Court has introduced digital case filings through which case files are transferred electronically. 

He said the top court has also introduced e-notices, supported by WhatsApp, SMS, and email alerts, and upgraded the digital infrastructure in Islamabad and at the branch registries to facilitate online hearings. It added that the top court has also extended video link services to the country’s high courts. 

Justice Afridi said Model Civil and Criminal Courts are continuing to function with time-bound trials, while mediation facilities were expanded across the provinces and metropolitan family courts to provide speedy justice. 

“In parallel, a Charter on the Ethical Use of AI is being finalized to ensure technology supports judicial efficiency without replacing human discretion,” he said. 

The judge noted that exactly a year ago on Sept. 8, 2024, the number of pending cases with the top court had reached 60,635 while during the year, 20,811 new cases were instituted while 22,863 cases were decided by the Supreme Court. 

“I must add, however, that the backlog could have been reduced even further, had many of our judges not been engaged in larger Constitutional Benches which demand extended hearings,” Justice Afridi said.