The Chief Justice of Pakistan articulates concerns on unresolved terrorism cases.
Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Yahya Afridi articulated apprehension regarding the accumulation of terrorism cases nationwide, underscoring the necessity of accelerating these proceedings to prevent the postponement of justice.
A meeting of the Administrative Judges of Anti-Terrorism Courts (ATC) convened at the Supreme Court of Pakistan, presided over by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, according to a press statement released here.
The meeting evaluated the performance of ATCs and assessed critical issues to guarantee the prompt and effective administration of justice in anti-terrorism matters. across the conference, it was revealed that there are currently 2,273 ongoing anti-terrorism cases across Pakistan, with a substantial number – 1,372 cases — awaiting settlement in Sindh alone.
The Chief Justice of Pakistan expressed apprehension regarding the backlog at Anti-Terrorism Courts and underscored the necessity of accelerating these cases to prevent delays in justice.
CJP Yahya Afridi instructed the forensic scientific lab (FSL) Sindh to assist Balochistan in the operationalization of the laboratories in Quetta. He additionally declared that exceptional ATC judges should be facilitated in international training programs with the assistance of the Law & Justice Commission of Pakistan.
CJP Yahya Afridi requested the Attorney General for Pakistan and the Prosecutors General of each province to address these matters with their respective governments. He advocated for prompt and synchronized measures to meet the infrastructure and resource requirements of ATCs, which are crucial for ensuring speedy and equitable results in anti-terrorism cases.
The statement indicated that significant challenges confronting ATCs were addressed, including witness security, enabling online witness appearances, developing and improving Forensic Scientific Laboratories (FSL) to aid evidence-based decision-making, and establishing additional ATC courts to efficiently manage high caseloads.
Attendees included monitoring judges from the Supreme Court: Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail (by video link), Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Musarrat Hilali, and Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan, along with monitoring judges from ATC courts and Prosecutors General from all provinces and the ICT. The conference was attended by the Registrar of the Supreme Court and the Secretary of the Law and Justice Commission.
The Chief Justice commenced the conference by welcoming the attendees and delineating the session’s objective, which was to evaluate the current state and performance of ATC cases, as well as to identify and mitigate obstacles to the effective administration of justice.
He reminded the attendees of their significant duty in administering justice, encouraging them to uphold the law impartially and without bias.