Peshawar: In a momentum towards reforming the justice sector, a high-level meeting was held under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Yahya Khan Afridi to review and enhance institutional linkages between the Bar Associations and the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan.The meeting was attended by Justice Syed Muhammad Attique Shah, Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court; Chaudhry Tahir Nasrullah Warraich, Vice Chairman, Pakistan Bar Council; Ahmed Farooq Khattak, Vice Chairman, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council; Fida Bahadur, Vice President Supreme Court Bar Association, Akbar Khan Kohistani, Chairman Executive Committee, KP Bar Council; Registrar, Supreme Court of Pakistan; Registrar, Peshawar High Court; Secretary, Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan; Secretaries of Finance, Law and Parliamentary Affairs, and Planning and Development of the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; Director General, KP Judicial Academy; Director Planning, Peshawar High Court; and a representative from the Ministry of Law and Justice, Federal Government. The initiative aims to improve justice delivery and ensure inclusive representation of the legal fraternity in law and policy reforms.Welcoming participants, the chair shared insights from his recent visits to some of the most remote districts in all provinces, where he assessed the state of judicial infrastructure and identified key challenges. Despite the availability of development funds, he observed that inadequate coordination among institutions has hindered effective implementation. He emphasized the need to include Bar Associations in judicial development efforts, especially those linked to judicial complexes.To bridge the coordination gap, the Commission has decided to post senior-level representatives in every province. These officers will be based in the High courts and serve as liaisons with district bar associations. Their duties include raising awareness of justice sector initiatives, identifying local priorities, and supervising grassroots reforms. Bar Associations will also be invited to submit development proposals for consideration by the relevant District Development Committees headed by the D and SJ. Representatives from federal and provincial departments are now part of the process to accelerate execution and prevent resource duplication.Highlighting the importance of synergy, the Chair urged bar representatives to engage their members proactively and stay involved in these reform efforts. He directed that all government-provided support to Bar Associations be streamlined and properly structured to maximize impact and cost-effectiveness.He also called on provincial line departments to remain actively engaged with designated officers to ensure timely implementation of projects proposed by the District Committees. Noting challenges such as poor infrastructure, unreliable power supply, and limited digital access in underdeveloped districts, he stressed the need for targeted interventions. It was also resolved that provincial government w ill include these programs in their annual planning plans for justice sector and prioritize it. Moreover, shades for female litigants and basic gender centric facilities will be made a priority in ongoing development for remote areas.The Chair also encouraged Bar Associations to benefit from the Continuing Legal Education (CLE) programs offered by the Judicial Academy. He instructed that the training calendar be widely disseminated, and focal persons be appointed within each bar to coordinate with the Academy.He also briefed the participants on recent decisions taken by the National Judicial Policy Making Committee. Bar representatives expressed their appreciation for the inclusive approach and thanked the Chair for acknowledging the challenges faced by both litigants and legal professionals. Federal and provincial stakeholders present at the meeting pledged full cooperation in achieving the shared goal of accessible, efficient, and citizen-centric justice service delivery.Meanwhile Chief Justice of Pak istan, accompanied by the Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court, Registrar Supreme Court, and Registrar Peshawar High Court, met with a delegation of lawyers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the Supreme Court Branch Registry, Peshawar. The delegation included representatives of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council, High Court Bar Association, and 35 District Bar Associations across the province.During the meeting, the Chief Justice briefed the delegation on the justice sector reforms being pursued through the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan (LJCP), highlighting that for the first time, bar representatives have been granted membership in the Commission to strengthen participatory decision-making in legal policy.He also shared key decisions from the recent meeting of the National Judicial (Policy Making) Committee (NJPMC), which included issue of enforced disappearances and formation of a dedicated response committee; directives to High Courts to establish safeguards against external interference with jud icial officers; and the establishment of Commercial Litigation Corridors and Model Criminal Trial Courts to ensure faster case disposal. Other reforms included time-bound adjudication in 13 categories of cases, piloting of a Double-DocketCourt Regime, court-annexed mediation, introduction of a Professional Excellence Index, standardization of district judiciary appointments and training, biometric case verification, video link attendance for under-trial prisoners and witnesses, ethical guidelines for AI use, and improved judicial welfare measures.The Chief Justice expressed concern over the lack of basic infrastructure in underdeveloped districts-particularly the absence of solar power and digital connectivity-and emphasized the need for targeted interventions to bridge regional disparities in justice delivery.In a major step toward inclusive justice, he announced a new legal aid initiative to bring inclusivity to ensure that no litigant remains unrepresented. Financially distressed litigants will now b e provided legal representation at all levels-from Magistrate Courts to the Supreme Court-at State expense. Bars may nominate competent lawyers to the relevant Judges.The Chief Justice further encouraged bar members to benefit from Continuing Legal Education (CLE) programs at the Federal Judicial Academy. He instructed them to make most of the program.He attentively heard the issues raised by the delegation and assured the bar representatives of his commitment to addressing their concerns in coordination with relevant institutions, reiterating the judiciary's resolve to promote transparency, access to justice, and collaborative reform.