Islamabad: In his drive to reach out and engage stakeholders, particularly from remote areas, on judicial reform agenda for improved service delivery and promotion of equitable access to justice, Justice Yahya Afridi, the Chief Justice of Pakistan and Chairman of the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan visited Dera Ismail Khan on Monday. His lordship was accompanied by Justice Syed Muhammad Atiq Shah, Acting Chief Justice, Peshawar High Court, Justice Ijaz Anwar, Senior Puisne Judge, Peshawar High Court, the Director General, Federal Judicial Academy and Officer of the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan.
The Chief Justice of Pakistan participated in an interactive session with District and Sessions Judges of Dera Ismail Khan, Tank and South Waziristan districts, while District and Sessions Judges from fifteen remote districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa joined the session online. His lordship emphasized that the remote and underprivileged areas are his primary focus, where Judges are dispensing justice in tough environment. Judges were encouraged to identify bottlenecks hindering judicial efficiency, with assurance of redressal.
Chief Justice Yahya Afridi assured the Judges serving in remote districts that comprehensive measures are being taken to ensure a supportive work environment, with a focus on enhancing their safety, dignity, and access to essential resources.
Similar engagement was made with President and General Secretary of Peshawar High Court Bar Association, Dera Ismail Khan Bench and Office bearers of the District Bar Associations from various remote districts. His lordship, while highlighting its role in ensuring access to justice, reiterated that the Bar would be facilitated for enhancing harmony and collaborative environment within the justice system. The Chief Justice agreed to the Bar's proposal of video linking with High Court Bench, Dera Ismail Khan for hearing cases by the Supreme Court. The Chief Justice assured that it's technical feasibility will be examined. He said, he would ensure that such facility is made available to benches of other High Courts in due course of time. This will reduce not only the cost of justice but will also save precious time of parties and their counsels.
The Chief Justice of Pakistan also visited Central Prison, Dera Ismail Khan and was briefed about issues faced by the inmates. The Chief Justice Peshawar High Court and Inspector General of Prisons, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were present on the occasion. His lordship visited various barracks and inspected the health facility and interacted with inmates. It was reiterated that the Initiative on Prison Reforms, would culminate in a comprehensive National Prison Policy would ensure humane treatment of prisoners and their rehabilitation.
Later on, the Director General, Federal Judicial Academy briefed representatives of the Bar on Continuing Judicial Education Package for members of the Bar and access to online learning platforms. The Officer of LJCP apprised them on the Access to Justice Development
Fund (AJDF), which aims to empower legal practitioners in under-served regions. This fund provides financial assistance to support their efforts in advancing justice and ensuring equitable access to legal resources. The Chief Justice reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening the justice delivery system and expressed confidence that the Bench and the Bar would work together to uphold the rule of law by ensuring accessibility, especially in the most remote and underprivileged areas.