ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) has announced updated statistics on its case backlog, following the transfer of numerous cases to newly established constitutional benches.
According to the latest figures, 22,910 cases have been shifted from the Supreme Court to these constitutional panels. As a result, the current pending cases in the Supreme Court stand at 33,796.This marks a significant reduction from November 13, when the court was dealing with 56,608 unresolved cases. In the past week alone, 333 new cases were filed in the court, while 304 cases were resolved.
Earlier this year, in July, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi revealed that judges in China were taken aback by the enormous backlog of cases in Pakistan’s legal system during his visit to China. He explained that China’s judicial system, which also functions through four levels of courts, has a Supreme People’s Court staffed by 367 judges and boasts no pending cases — a stark contrast to Pakistan’s overwhelmed judiciary.
When asked how Pakistan plans to reduce its case backlog, Afridi said, “We came here to learn from China’s methods,” highlighting the importance of adopting technological solutions to speed up judicial proceedings.During his visit, Afridi also engaged with judges from India, describing the discussions as “highly consequential,” though he chose not to share specific details, promising they will be addressed in future meetings.
He also met with Iran’s Chief Justice during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Chief Justices’ Conference held in Hangzhou.
It’s noteworthy that Chief Justice Yahya Afridi led Pakistan’s delegation at the 20th Conference of SCO Chief Justices in Hangzhou, accompanied by Justices Amin-ud-Din Khan, Shahid Waheed, and two district judges: Zafar Jan from Gwadar District and Nadia Gul Wazir from Lakhi Marwat District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
