CJP Yahya Afridi forms committee to address overcrowding in prisons

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi expressed displeasure over the overcrowding in jails of the country, saying that over 108,000 persons are incarcerated in the prisons originally designed for 66,625 inmates, ARY News reported.

Chaired a meeting focused on improving prison conditions and the welfare of prisoners, the CJP while quoting the Law and Justice Commission said that 36,128 prisoners have been waiting for trial for over a year.

CJP Yahya Afridi said that Punjab province is the most affected by overcrowding in jails with 67,837 prisoners being held in facilities meant for 36,365. He was of the view that the large number of prisoners waiting for trial highlights the need for judicial reform.

The CJP stressed the importance of addressing the issues being faced by the prisoners. He also formed a committee and tasked it to submit recommendations for the jail reforms.

The meeting was also attended by Chief Justice Lahore High Court Justice Aaliya Neelum, Justice Shams Mahmoud Mirza, and representatives from the home and prosecution departments as well as police, and jail authorities.

JCP meeting summoned

Meanwhile, CJP Yahya Afridi summoned the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) meeting on November 5. Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Aminuddin Khan and parliamentarians would attend the meeting.

Earlier, the Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan’s full court vowed to decide around 60,000 pending cases at the earliest

The full court meeting was chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Yahya Afridi and attended by all other judges. Senior Puisne Judge Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah attended the meeting through video link, a press statement issued here read.

“The meeting was convened to assess the performance of Supreme Court in the institution and disposal of cases, focusing on measures to reduce case backlog and enhance judicial efficiency. The Registrar provided an overview of the current caseload and outlined the steps toward timely decision of cases,” the statement added.