Judicial committee formed on enforced disappearances

ISLAMABAD: The National Judicial (Policy Making) Committee (NJPMC) on Friday took serious notice of the enforced disappearances and unanimously resolved that the judiciary would not compromise on its constitutional duty to safeguard fundamental rights.

The 53rd meeting of NJPMC was convened at the Supreme Court of Pakistan under the Chairmanship of Chief Justice of Pakistan Mr Justice Yahya Afridi. The meeting was attended by the Chief Justices of all the High Courts, while Additional Attorney General for Pakistan attended on special invitation.

The Committee deliberated on key policy issues and adopted several significant measures to improve judicial performance, technology integration in judicial processes and citizen-centric justice delivery.

The NJPMC took serious notice of the enforced disappearances and unanimously resolved that the judiciary would not compromise on its constitutional duty to safeguard fundamental rights. A dedicated committee was constituted to formulate an institutional response, after taking into consideration concerns of the Executive, to be communicated through the Attorney General for Pakistan.

The Committee also decided to protect judicial officers from external influence and asked the High Courts to establish structured mechanisms for reporting and redressal of such instances within a stipulated timeframe.

To improve the commercial dispute resolution landscape, the NJPMC approved the establishment of Commercial Litigation Corridor, with specialized courts and benches. In line with its commitment to expeditious justice, the Committee endorsed the piloting of a Double-Docket Court Regime in select districts on need basis with optional participation. The framework for Model Criminal Trial Courts was also approved to address long-pending criminal cases through time-bound trials and optimized judicial resources.

In a major step towards strengthening Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), the Committee approved launch of a court-annexed mediation regime as a pilot project. This includes the establishment of district mediation facilities, family court mediation centers and standardized SOPs for operational purposes.

To ensure consistency and excellence in the district judiciary, the NJPMC constituted a committee headed by Justice (Rtd) Rehmat Hussain Jafferi, former Judge, Supreme Court of Pakistan comprising Chief Justice, High Court of Balochistan, the Registrars of High Courts and Director General, Federal Judicial Academy to recommend key performance indicators aligned with international benchmarks, standardized recruitment and training mechanisms, address disparities in service conditions and propose a framework for the District Judiciary Policy Forum as well as overseas exposure opportunities for Judges.

The Committee also approved the development of a Professional Excellence Index for talent hunt of lawyers for induction in judiciary and asked the High Courts to finalize their models within 30 days. The ethical and policy implications of using generative AI in judicial functions were discussed, and the National Judicial Automation Committee (NJAC) was asked to finalize a comprehensive charter on ethical use of AI in this regard.

The Committee appreciated the Inspector General of Police, Punjab, for his detailed presentation proposing various reform intervention on behalf of all the Inspectors General of Police of the Provinces and ICT and decided that the High Courts shall issue SOPs for attendance of under trial prisoners and official witnesses through video link. It was also decided that the Federal and Provincial Judicial Academies shall conduct trainings for Police Officers including District Police Officers on request of the respective IGPs.

On the request of the Additional Attorney General for Pakistan, the NJPMC decided that all constitutional petitions pertaining to tax and financial matters shall be heard and decided by division benches of the High Courts instead of Single Bench.

The NJPMC appreciated the initiatives of Lahore High Court regarding construction of female bar rooms, day care center and health insurance for Judges and their family members. It was decided that all the High Courts will approach their respective Provincial Governments for similar facilities.

It was also decided that the NJPMC Secretariat shall take up the proposal of consultation with the Presiding Office before transfer of ministerial staff of the Administrative Courts and Tribunals with the Federal Government.

The NJPMC reaffirmed its commitment to a progressive, transparent and responsive judicial system, rooted in constitutional values and guided by the rule of law.